It Is Just Recycling
by PanicButton
Summary: ReidHotchOmc: A cottage on the cliffs and missing tourists and locals. The BAU are called in when body parts start turning up. Whump and slight slashy undertones. NO JJ!
1. Chapter 1

It Is Just Recycling.

_Death is Nature's way of __recycling__ human beings__: - Unknown_

Disclaimer: Criminal Minds is not mine. 

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"You can't. He isn't well enough to go off into the middle of nowhere. He would be better off staying with me if you really want to get rid of the apartment. It really is not a good idea to take him off like that." 

"I am sorry Agent Aaron Hotchner. You misunderstood me. I was not asking your permission. I was being – erm – thoughtful? Is that the word – maybe not, anyway Spencer is coming with me. It is what he wants."

Hotch was pacing his office as Floyd stood there looking every part a totally innocent man.

"You can't."

"I can and I will. We both need to heal. You do too. He needs to be away from the memories and be somewhere different." Floyd sat down on the leather couch Hotch had against the wall and grimaced slightly as he sat.

Aaron went and sat next to him. "You are still recovering yourself. Really I don't like the idea of it."

"I promise to look after him."

"Knowing you Floyd – knowing you very well – that is a very empty thing to say."

Floyd got up and started towards the door. "Well we leave in the morning." He pulled a scrap of paper out of his pocket and walked back slapping it on the table. "The address – there is no phone and I am unsure of the cell reception. You are welcome to visit. Anytime – you know that. I need to get things back the way they used to be. I need it to be just Spencer and myself. No interruptions. No UnSubs hiding in the bushes. No hospitals. Just me and Spence."

"And where do I fit into this grand plan of yours?"

"You don't. You have your job. The one you threw Spencer out of. You discarded him Agent Aaron Hotchner. You don't get another chance. Not with Spence."

Flanders walked over to Hotch and ran a finger down from his forehead along his nose and down to his lips. "I however am made of stronger stuff. With me you get a second chance."

Aaron took a couple of steps back. "I don't approve."

"I am not asking for your approval. Spence asked me to come over and let you know. Otherwise I wouldn't have bothered."

…………………….

This is why Spencer and Floyd were standing looking at a whitewashed stone cottage on the edge of a low cliff looking out to sea.

"We are a bit isolated Floyd."

"That was the whole point."

"No phones you say?"

"Or television or wireless internet – or any internet actually."

"Oh – and that is meant to relax me?"

"Walks in the fresh air. Paddling in the sea. Nights sitting by an open fire."

Spencer frowned. "Does this place have electricity?"

"Sometimes."

Spencer turned and looked at the tiny cottage. "Sometimes?"

"The generator isn't too reliable apparently. It's one of the reasons I got it so cheap."

This time Spencer sighed. "I'll give it a go. How long did you rent it for?"

Floyd wrapped an arm around Reid's shoulder. "I bought it. Sold the apartment. Used some of the money for this beauty."

"You sold our apartment? Without consulting me?!" Reid stepped back from Floyd pushing his arm away.

"_My_ apartment. It was mine."

"But Floyd!"

"Oh stop moaning and live with it will you. I thought you would like it. You are so bloody hard to satisfy sometimes."

"Our things – my books." Pacing up and down across the grass in front of the building.

"Will be delivered soon."

"Soon?!"

Floyd ignored the dirty look Spencer gave him and walked to the door. "You coming in to have a look or are you going to stand out there all night just to spite me."

Spencer crossed his arms and went to sit on the small wall stone wall surrounding the property. "You are unbelievable Floyd. How could you do this? You are totally insane."

But he had gone inside slamming the door behind him. Reid looked over that the motor bike they had arrived on and sighed. He couldn't even go home if he had sold up and he didn't think he could ride the bike anyway. His thoughts drifted to Aaron and he wondered if he could walk back to that small village they went through a million miles away and find a telephone. Get Aaron to pick him up and stay at his place. He turned and looked back at the cottage. It was beginning to rain now.

"Fabulous. Just what I needed." He muttered to himself and wrapped his arms tightly around his chest. His right arm was throbbing where it had been broken and his fingers felt stiff and uncomfortable. But he would be damned before he put a step inside that hovel he was meant to call home. "Why do I let him talk me into these mad things? I would heal better with Aaron." He kicked at the grass under his feet and he felt the rain slowly soaking through the light summer weight jacket he had on. His mind drifted away as the looked at the choppy sea and the waves crashing onto the shore. He didn't hear the footsteps behind him.

"You selfish bastard." Spencer jumped as the words were hissed into his ear. "I sell my home. I buy you this and you sit there thinking of Agent bloody Aaron Hotchner!"

Reid was about to jump up off the wall when a hand grabbed him by the hair. Spencer reached up to try to disentangle the hand but a hard thump on his right arm stopped him and then he could feel Floyd pulling him backwards off the wall by his hair.

"Floyd! Let – go – of me!" He could feel his hair being torn out by its roots.

"Get in the house." The low growl of a voice Floyd was using let Reid know he wasn't going to stop until he was over the doorstep. But he stopped walking. "Get up and get in. We didn't come all this way so you can sit on the wall and think of what we are meant to be forgetting."

"Let go of me Floyd or promise you I will never go in that building. Ever." And so the hair pulling started up again as he was dragged over the grass on his back. Spencer tried to get a grip on the ground but it was wet and slippery and he couldn't gain a foot hold. "You – are – hurting me!" Now Spencer was shouting.

"Good! Maybe you will remember next time you cross me."

Reid put his hands back up to where Floyd was pulling him and tried the force his fingers out of his hair but by now he could already feel he was being dragged over the door step and now he wasthrough the front door.

Floyd let go of Reid's hair and slammed and locked the door. "For once – just once – show some appreciation for all I do for you. Just one thank you would be nice."

Spencer was pushing him self up to sit and rubbing at his scalp. "Thank you? For what? For selling my home from under me? For bringing me out here in the middle of nowhere? For virtually kidnapping me and removing me from my friends? Which bit am I meant to be thanking you for?" He got to his feet and looked in Floyd's direction, but over his shoulder and at the door, calculating how easy it would be to get out.

"You knew we were coming. You told me to give Hotchner the address – which I did. What is the bloody problem with you?" Floyd took steps towards Spencer and gripped his chin in his calloused hand forcing Reid to look at him properly. "Look at me Spencer and tell me you don't want to be here with me. Tell me you want to go back and be with Hotchner. Tell me!" The grip on Spencer's chin was tightening as he felt the other hand come up and grip the side of his neck. "Tell me you want to leave me." Now talking in a very low whisper.

Reid brought his hand up to push Floyd off but the grip was too hard, he could feel Floyd's fingers digging into his flesh and the blood beginning to drip down the side of his neck was warm. "Have you got something to say to me Spence?" His dark eyes looking into Spencer lighter hazel ones.

"I'm sorry."

Immediately the hands let go of him and Flanders stood back. "Thank you. Now that wasn't so hard was it? Now have a look around. Tell me I haven't thought of you. Every bloody thing I do is for you."

"I know."

Reid now began to look around the room he was standing in. One wall was virtually taken up by a huge fireplace. Big rugs lay on the floor in front of it. The next wall had the door leading out the way he had been dragged in with a small window either side. The next wall was lined with huge dark empty bookshelves. The final wall had another door, but smaller and internal and a narrow staircase leading up. In the middle of the room was a big old leather couch with two end tables. Everything looked ancient and now he had stopped hyperventilating he could smell smoke and polish.

He watched Floyd walk over to the small door and open it. "Kitchen. Not much of one – but there anyway."

Reid nodded but didn't go over there. Instead he made for the stairs. He had to duck as he made his way up them. The walls were lumpy and painted white. At the top it opened directly into a big room with a low ceiling which dropped down at the sides. One wall was taken up by a huge bed. How the hell Floyd had managed to get it up here he didn't know. Massive four poster. He walked over to it touching the drapes which hung down at the sides. The other wall had a tub. Again huge and once again Reid couldn't work out how Floyd had managed to get it in the room. He walked over to it and ran his fingers slowly over the old metal bath. A quick glance out of the small window let him see that the view was over the sea. The wall opposite the window was a fireplace. Smaller then the one downstairs but still huge.

"I took the roof off." Floyd's voice from behind him.

Reid turned around. "Pardon?"

"To get the bed and tub in. I had some of the roof removed. I know you how you like your baths."

"Floyd – this is beautiful."

"Come here babes." Floyd put his arms out to Spencer, who cautiously walked forwards. "You want to try the bed?"

"Now?"

"Yes. Now." The head butt to Reid's face knocked him out and split his bottom lip on his teeth. Floyd grabbed Reid under the arms and dragged him to the bed laying him on his front. "I think now would be a good time Spence."

Floyd smirked.

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**A/N: OK nothing much happened…it's just an intro and scene and mood setter. More to follow. Review if you can be bothered. Ta - Pb xox **

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	2. Chapter 2 Contact

Contact

_The Scarecrow once said: - Welcome to your new home, boy._

Disclaimer: Criminal Minds is not mine.

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When Spencer awoke he was laying on the top of the covers half dressed. The fire had been made up and it was dark outside. A small light on the wall was glowing dimly in the darkness. He rolled over onto his back and for a second or so wondered what the hell had happened. His hands were trembling slightly as he put a finger to his lips. There was a taste of blood in his mouth and he could feel with his tongue where his teeth had split his lip.

Reid picked up his boxers and trousers from the floor next to the bed and slowly got dressed. The rain was rattling against the window pane and he could hear the sea crashing on the shore. It was a good sound he should feel safe here out of the wind and rain, but a chill ran down him spine.

He only hit his head once as he made his way down the narrow staircase and into the lounge. Floyd had been here. The fire was crackling in the grate and a half drunk tumbler of whiskey was on one of the end tables. Spencer walked over to it and ran a finger along the rim. He could small Floyd had been smoking too.

"Hey sleepy head." A happy voice from behind him. "Let me get you a drink."

He turned to see Floyd grinning at him. "I wasn't sleeping."

"Oh OK – whatever. Do you want a drink? I bet you do." He went into the kitchen and returned with a half full bottle. Reid was sitting on the couch looking into the flames and so Flanders sat down next to him and passed over the bottle. "Beautiful isn't it?"

Reid took the bottle and looked at Floyd. "Yes it is beautiful, but you should have asked me first."

"You would have said no. You always say no. I have to force you to try something different. Look what you would have missed. Drink up, I have some chilli cooking."

"Thank you Floyd."

Floyd squeezed Spencer's knee. "Welcome babes. Hungry?"

A small nod and a churning feeling in his stomach. He was sure he would throw up if he ate anything, but if Floyd had gone to the trouble of cooking for him then he wouldn't be refusing. Not tonight. Not when it was so dark outside. He took a couple of swigs from the bottle and looked around. A small frown crossed his brow and he got up to follow Floyd.

The kitchen was small and was really just a massive oven with walls around it. A small door was in the back wall with an equally small window next to it.

"Floyd?" He was watching the look of concentration on his face and also the way his hand kept going to his back and rubbing.

Floyd turned around and looked at Spencer standing with the bottle in his hand. "You alright there?"

"I was wondering where the bathroom is."

Floyd grinned. It was a lovely toothy real smile and Spencer couldn't help but smile back even though Floyd smiling sort of terrified him.

"You want a bath?"

"Erm no. I um. I need the bathroom."

"Oh – outback." Floyd pointed to the small door.

"Outback?"

"It's an outside toilet Spence babes. It's out there. Small building – you cant miss it."

"An outside toilet? Have you seen the rain? The wind? Outside? You are jesting!"

"You might want to stick on a waterproof cape thing over your shoulders. Or pee in a bucket."

"Good lord Floyd. I can't go out there! In the dark!"

"I'll come with you then – this once. Next time you will have to brave the good old outside bog on your own."

Spencer snatched the water proof from next to the door and turned the key. "I'm not impressed Floyd."

……………………

The following day the truck full of the rest of their things arrived. Spencer's old leather chair and books and his clothes. Floyds few bits, his work tools and his toys.

Once the things had been dragged in Spencer spent a reasonably happy day sorting his books out and putting them in the lovely bookcase Floyd had provided. It looked good and with the sun out and the waves crashing on the beach, he sat in his chair in the corner and he for a little while actually thought Floyd had done something good. Something for him.

"Spence." Reid looked up from his happy calm place and immediately felt on edge. This would be perfect if it wasn't for Floyd's mood swings.

"What did I do wrong this time?" He snapped back.

"I'm going up to the village. Thought you might want to come too. Maybe give someone a ring. Let him know you arrived safely."

Spencer got up with a sigh. It wasn't really a question, it was an order. "I'll get my boots and coat." And he was sure that the offer of a phone call would be rescinded once they got there.

…………………

They sat and looked down that the files in front of them. Five people had been reported missing in the area. There seemed to be no connection between them except they had all gone missing within a month of each other and they lived in a ten mile radius from a village where the first person who went missing lived. They were of different ages, of different genders and different religions. Victimology seem odd. There just was nothing to connect these people to each other.

"Two days ago someone walking a dog on the beach found this." A picture of a lump of something popped up on the screen. "It is a leg from the knee downwards and part of the foot."

Rossi was looking closely at the picture. "That hasn't been cut with a blade."

"No sir it has been partially eaten and torn."

"Eaten by fish? A swimming accident?"

"No sir. Human teeth marks were found. This is part of the third person to go missing. It is hard to tell how long between the disappearance and this happening it was. It had been in the sea."

"Human teeth marks?" Hotch was standing looking at the picture too. "Where is this place?"

"Here." Now a map appeared on the screen with a small village circled. Hotch stood staring at the name of the village and then pulled out a crumpled bit of paper from his pocket and looked at it. Then back at the screen and then back at the bit of paper.

"We need to go with open minds. I don't want anyone flying to conclusions until we are sure what is going on here. It's not easy to get a good profile if we have a suspect already so I will appreciate it if you just ignore the fact I am going to have to tell you."

Rossi looked over at Hotch. "Aaron, what's wrong? You know the area?"

"Not personally, no. But it is where Reid and Flanders live."

Morgan jumped up and thumped the desk. "The sonofabitch!"

Hotch turned to Morgan. "Sit down and remember what I just said."

"It's a forgone conclusion man! He is a murdering cannibal – and people are being eaten where he lives? How much more evidence do you need?!"

"We need proof." Rossi replied. "Hotch is right. We must not let this cloud our judgment."

…………………………

Reid loved riding on the back of the bike with Floyd. He wrapped his arms around him and leaned his head on Floyd's back taking in the strong scent. He knew Floyd's back was still hurting and though quite a bit of the time, well sometimes, occasionally, Spencer felt uncomfortable when he was this close to Floyd today it was good. He hadn't bitched at him or moaned about being in pain or needed undying gratitude for anything and Spencer had his books and they looked lovely on the shelves in that little cottage on the cliffs.

When they arrived at the village Floyd indicated the small local café. "They have a phone in there." Floyd grabbed Spencer's hand and slipped coins into it. I need to go see someone. Meet you back here in about half an hour? Grab yourself a coffee." He squeezed Spencer's hand tightly and gave him a light kiss on the lips. "Spence…"

Floyd would have taken Spencer right there in the small village high street if it wasn't that they would have to come back for provisions. So he ran his finger down Reid's face and ran a thumb over his lips. "Half hour." Then he turned and went down a small side street.

Reid turned and walked over to the small café and pushed the door open. He smiled a bit nervously at the few people sitting there at the tables with table cloths and then walked to the counter.

"A coffee please and I need to use the telephone. He saw pile of news papers and pick one up to look at while he waited."

'Another goes missing. Cannibal hunt is on.'

He just stood and looked at the words and then thought of the chilli he had been eating. With shaking hands he put the newspaper back down and walked to the telephone on the wall. He punched in Aaron's number and dropped in the coins the machine requested.

………………..

It was an unknown number that came up on Hotch's phone as he sat shot gun in the SUV Morgan was driving.

"Hotchner." He snapped into it.

'It's Spencer.'

"Reid – is everything alright?"

'Erm yes. It's lovely. Floyd brought me into town to make a call.'

"That's generous of him."

'It really is lovely here Aaron. You should come down. Please.'

"On my way Reid. With the team. Stay tight OK?"

'With the team?' And his mind went back to the newspaper. 'It isn't him. You are way off course.'

"General profile fits."

'This is ridiculous! How could you be thinking that?'

"Just keep an eye on your back Reid. We will be there soon."

He slammed the phone down and chugged back his coffee burning his tongue. He paid for the drink and left to stand by the bike. When he saw Floyd walking across the street he walked over to great him. Floyd smiled as he saw Reid rush over to him. He wasn't expecting the slap across the face as much as Reid was expecting the follow up punch to the side of the head. It knocked him a couple of steps sideways.

"How could you Floyd! After all we went through. After all that crap and you bring me out here and do that – that – crap all over again! You want to do it – fine – go do it, just don't you ever involve me in your dirty sordid little life!"

Flanders grabbed Reid by the hand and dragged him out of the middle of the road.

"My sordid little life. I am keeping that very close to my chest Spencer. What have I done now which so offends your little closed mind?"

"You! You don't know what I am talking about. You go and you murder people for your fun and you don't even know it's wrong!"

Floyd frowned. "No – I know it's wrong. Well – I take that back, I – it's. Spence. I don't … you are impossible!"

"Then tell me it wasn't you."

"If someone has been murdered in the area recently Spence, it wasn't me. On your life it wasn't."

"Then where have you just been?" Spencer started to walk across the street towards where Floyd had come from.

"Spence, you don't need to know everything. It's not healthy. Come back, we can go home. Tomorrow I will have a surprise for you. See I am still only thinking of you."

Reid turned and started walking back. "Where have you been? Why is your hair a mess? Why are you buttons done up wrong?"

A big sigh. "I had a sodding back massage! My back hurts. I don't like admitting it, but yes Spence I am in pain so I had a massage."

"Oh – there is a masseuse in the village?"

Floyd was getting on the bike. "No."

Reid got on behind him and put his hands around Floyd's waist. "No?"

"A whore Spence. I went to see a whore. She's cheap, I needed something to do. You have your books, I had my whore. We are both happy."

If Reid responded to this his words were ripped away by the wind as Floyd took them back to the white cottage on the edge of the cliffs.

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	3. Chapter 3 Visitation

Visitation 

_Roux__: I should probably warn ya you make friends with us you make enemies with everyone else._

Disclaimer: Criminal Minds is not mine.

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It was a beautiful sunny day, but Reid felt like a dark cloud had once again descended. He never knew if Floyd was telling the truth and most of the time he doubted Floyd even knew what was real and what wasn't anymore.

When they arrived back at the cottage Spencer remained silent and entered via the front door and threw himself down on the couch. A minute or so later Flanders came in and just stood looking at Reid.

"What's the mood in aid of?" Floyd left the door open to let the fresh sea air in and then sat down next to Reid sliding his hand over his shoulder and attempting to pull him closer.

"Get off me." Spencer pushed the hand away.

"What did I do this time?" Floyd got up and started to walk to the kitchen.

"You know full well what you did. You keep your hands and other various body parts away from me."

Flanders turned from his walk to the kitchen and returned to Reid. He knelt down on the floor in front of him and looked up at Spencer's eyes. "Various body parts? You don't want me?" A hand on each of Reid's knees.

"No – I don't want to catch some nasty disease off you Floyd." He could feel the fingers digging into his knees.

"Nasty disease? And where would I get that other than from you?"

Reid tried to push the hands away. "Maybe from some whore in the village?"

"Oh that. Not the first whore or rent boy I have been to. Won't be the last either babes. No one ever said this was a monogamous relationship. I will whore with who I fancy."

Again Reid tried to get away from Floyd's hands which were digging in hard. "I hate you." He spat down at Floyd.

And really it was all Flanders needed. That hate filled voice just did something to him every time. It was better than the whimpering and crying. The venom in Reid's voice just tipped Floyd from being in control of his own body, to letting it take control of him. The problem was it was times like this that Floyd would take what he needed however much his victim fought back.

"I know you hate me babes. That is why I need to teach you a lesson in manners."

…………………………

The local PD was a while away but there was no choice. 

As they began to set up Aaron decided to take Morgan for a ride out to see Reid. It was a nice drive down the coastal road. Morgan sat with an elbow resting on the door through the open window.

"You know Hotch. I can think of worse places to move to."

"No clubbing out here Morgan." He turned and gave a little half smile.

"No anything out here. Wonder how Reid feels about it?"

The road gradually left the sea behind them as they passed a few faming cottages and a b&b. It was quiet and tranquil. The fact that people had gone missing and a body part had been washed up on the beach didn't seem to effect the aura this place gave off. Old and traditional. Hotch turned off the small road they were driving on and down a rutted farm track back down towards the sea. It was about four miles of winding bumpy track before they saw the tiny white home sitting at the edge of the cliffs. Hotch stopped the car and they just sat and looked.

"Wow. That's a bit in the middle of nowhere."

Hotch nodded and though he was feeling worried now about this situation he didn't show it. "Let's just go and say hello to Reid. Let him know we are here."

They drove on and parked up next to a big black motor bike.

………………………….

Floyd heard the vehicle and sat up. "Get up. Spence get up and go upstairs."

Reid just lay on the rugs on the floor and started to curl up to protect himself from more pain. "Why?" 

"There are people coming. Get up the stairs and have a bath. You stink. Get the blood off. Move it!" He put his hands under Spencer's arms and pulled him to his feet. Floyd grabbed the clothes and stuffed them in Reid's hands. "Get up the sodding stairs and don't come down until you have washed and stopped that snivelling.

He watched Reid walk slowly towards the stairs. Spencer had discovered the reason there was no door on the bedroom. No where to lock himself in. Nowhere to run to. 

Floyd didn't really want strangers in his home. Not when Spencer was behaving like a spoilt child. He went outside to meet whoever had just arrived. Shutting and locking the front door behind him. As he walked around the side of the building he stopped and just stood looking at the two agents walking towards him.

"What the hell do you want?"

"Just wanted to ask you a few questions. Do you mind if we come in?" Aaron walked towards Floyd trying not to look threatening. "You did say I could visit."

"Now isn't a good time." Floyd stood his ground on the small pathway leading around to the front of the house. "Come back tomorrow or something."

"Is Reid here?" Morgan asking questions now.

Floyd folded his arms and tipped his head slightly to the side. "You want to ask me the questions, why are you asking for Spence?" 

"Just wanted to say hello is all." Morgan again.

"Well he is busy. What questions?"

"Can we come in?" Hotch asked again. 

Floyd shook his head. "No. Ask your questions out here. I don't want your stink or your sidekick in my private dwelling."

"We can come back with a warrant if you want." Hotch walking forwards again towards Floyd who let a flicker of a frown cross his face.

"Why? What am I meant to have done? We have only just moved here. What did he tell you?" He was watching Aaron closely.

"Some people have gone missing. Did you read about it?" Hotch forever walking closer.

"Get off my land you bastard. How dare you come here accusing me of shit. Get off and try and get a warrant. I've done nothing."

"I would like to see Spencer while I am here." Aaron was within touching distance now and he didn't look to Floyd like he was going to back off and so he protected what he felt was his.

"Screw you FBI sonsofbitches!" and he was on Hotchner, hands on his shoulders and he knee coming up to his groin. Aaron made a good noise of pain and then again as Floyd's knee came up into Hotch's face. He tried to push Floyd away from him and go for his gun, but another crack with the fist under the jaw sent his head spinning. Floyd could see his target was disorientated and stumbling. He could see he was in pain and so he was about to give Aaron a fist into the solar plexus when he felt an arm wrap around his neck.

Floyd looked away from the bloodied face of Agent Aaron Hotchner to the dark skinned arm around his neck. "Get your filthy hands off me!" Floyd shouted as he stuck elbows back into Derek's ribs, but he had been expecting this and manoeuvred out of the way bringing a knee up into the small of Flanders back and pulling his head back harder.

"Stop, or I will blow your brains out – again." Derek snarled into his ear and then pulled Floyd back harder again with his knee against his back.

Floyd stopped. He stopped everything and went limp in Derek's arms. He let go of him and watched Floyd fall on his face on the stony pathway.

"What just happened?" Hotch spat blood out onto the grass.

"It was like I hit his off button. I have no idea what just happened." Derek prodded Floyd with his foot and got a slight moan as a reply. "I think now might be a good time to check on Reid.

…………………………..

He didn't want to kill Aaron. He had a soft stop for him really and when things were going well and he wasn't wearing his badge he rather liked him. Obviously that didn't stop him wanting to hurt him sometimes. Morgan. He was a different matter. The time he had been able to control him and get him to do things he would never dream of normally was fun, but it was also over and if he ever touched him again he would have one of his eyes out.

Right now though he couldn't move. Derek had done something, he wasn't sure what, but he was damned sure he needed another massage. He lay on the path wondering if Morgan had just broken his back again. It wasn't properly fixed from last time so the chances were it was. He moaned and turned over onto his back listening to the noise Derek was making kicking in his front door.

"Leave my bleeding door alone!" He shouted but got no reply. He tried to wiggle his toes but nothing was happening. "You broke my sodding back!" and quieter and to himself "Shit."

………………….

Reid had quickly washed his face and put on some brown trousers which now seemed a bit big. He put on a black belt and pulled on a beige shirt with a slight pattern on it. His socks he still had on. 

He could hear shouting coming from outside and he was sure he could hear Hotch and Morgan. 

They were right now the last people he wanted to see. His face was sore, he couldn't open his eyes properly and the inside of his mouth was cut. At least he wasn't bleeding now. He ran his fingers through his hair and started to go down stairs. He had every intention of trying to calm whatever this situation was down, and he had a good idea what was going on. 

Reid had just reached the foot of the stairs when the door broke inwards and Morgan burst into the room.

"Reid!" 

Spencer just stood looking at him and then at Aaron who had blood on his face and what looked like a black eye forming. 

"What's going on?" Reid tried to keep his voice from sounding nervous. Where the hell was Floyd? What had they done? What had Floyd done to Aaron?

Aaron stepped into the room properly and had a quick look around. It looked comfortable and Reid's books were there on shelves. "I came to see if you were alright." Hotch walked now towards Reid.

"You came to question Floyd, is why you came. I told you he has nothing to do with any cannibal killer. Why can't you give the man a break occasionally. He's not all bad. You know that Aaron. You know he's not all you are making him out to be."

Derek didn't want to hear this bullshit Reid was coming out with. It never seemed to take Floyd long to get Reid brainwashed back to where he needed him. As a dog to kick. He opened the door into the kitchen and looked at the pots bubbling on the stove.

"What is he cooking up here Reid?"

Spencer walked over to Morgan and pulled him out of the door way. "You don't have a warrant Derek so just leave will you."

"I'm here as a friend." Derek pushed Reid's hand off his arm.

"Friends don't smash down front doors. Just get out."

A hand on Spencer's shoulder now. "Morgan wait outside please, I wont be long."

With a nod he left and Hotch turned Spencer to face him. "You are right Spencer we came to talk to Floyd, but also to see you." He ran a finger across Reid's face. "What happened to you? Has he been hitting you again? You know you can walk out of this place now Spencer and come back with me." 

Reid leaned foreword and rested his head on Hotch's shoulder. "Thank you for checking up, but really there is no need. I like it here. Floyd is really good to me. He even let me call you. He's a good person Aaron. I wish you could see that."

Aaron ran a hand over the back of Spencer's head. He knew no amount of persuasion was going to get Reid to leave with him now. Floyd had done a very good job on him out here in the middle of nowhere.

He lifted Reid's face up and ran a finger over his lips. "Call me – if you need me. I am here for you." He moved back away from Spencer feeling a pain in the pit of his stomach at having to leave him here.

Spencer followed him out of the door and around the side of the cottage where Floyd was still laying, swearing in every language he could think of. He went and knelt down on the path next to Floyd and grasped his hand. "Just go will you. When you have some evidence come back again. Or if you want to come for dinner tomorrow you are invited. Just don't come here accusing us of things we haven't done."

The shift to the 'we' didn't go un-noticed as Aaron and Derek got back in the SUV.

"You could get him done for assault on a Fed." Derek snapped.

"And what will that achieve? Another spate of prison murders and a riot? He is better off where he is. Where we can keep an eye on him and I have every intention of returning for dinner tomorrow. In fact I am rather looking forward to it."

"You are going to eat something that monster has cooked?"

Hotch shook his head. "I will bring sandwiches." He looked over at Morgan. "I will get them pre-made from the store. Don't look so worried."

* * *


	4. Chapter 4 A New Love

A New Love

_Love never dies a natural death. It dies because we don't know how to replenish it's source. It dies of blindness and errors and betrayals. It dies of illness and wounds; it dies of weariness, of witherings, of tarnishings__: - __Anais Nin _

Disclaimer: Criminal Minds is not mine. Floyd is :c/

* * *

Reid helped Floyd back into the cottage and laid him down on the couch.

"What do you need? I'll get it for you – A smoke – something stronger?"

"Get me both then piss off."

Reid grabbed the things out of a drawer in on of the small end tables and handed them over to Floyd.

"OK I give up. What was it this time?"

"What was what? And why are you still here? Go for a walk. Leave me alone for a few hours. Collect sea shells and go paddling. Just get out. You stink – I don't want to have to smell you."

"Smell me?" Reid backed away from Floyd. He didn't like the way this was going.

Floyd lit one of his stinking smokes and looked over at Reid. "I can smell him on you. I can smell Agent Aaron Hotchner."

Spencer grabbed his coat off a hook and left without another word – was going to pull the door shut, but the hinges and catches were bent from Morgan's assault. Floyd called out. "Don't come back before eight." He looked at his watch – it was three pm.

"Floyd…"

"Get out before I crawl over there and ………….. shit my back hurts."

Reid walked back in and knelt on the floor next to Floyd. "Just let me help you. Accept my assistance for once. You don't need to go through this alone."

"I won't be alone. Get out."

Spencer reached out and ran his fingers through Floyd's hair. "Floyd…"

Floyd reached over and twisted his fingers into Reid's hair. "Babes – sod off and leave me alone." And the fingers twisted and pulled at Spencer's hair before he pushed him back out of the way.

He stood up again and watched Flanders let the ash from his cheroot drop onto the floor. He walked over to the table again and pulled out a bunch of tissues. "If you are going to snort that rubbish, you will be needing these." Floyd snatched the tissues from his hand but didn't look up at him.

Reid left leaving the broken door open behind him. He had every intention of doing as he was told and going down to the beach. As he arrived at the pathway taking him down there he turned and walked back. Not to the house, but past it and on over the fields behind. He was going to walk into the village. If he kept to the fields and off the track it wouldn't – hopefully – take as long. Spencer looked at his watch and started the long walk to the village and where he knew there were people other than Floyd. Maybe a friendly face which was not smiling just to get his guard down.

If he had walked along the track he would have seen the small black car going down towards the cottage, but eyes down and the sound of his heart thumping with anger and self hatred he heard and saw nothing. The grass was not too long but it was still damp from the rain. By the time he arrived at the small row of shops he was damp and sweaty and it was now that he realised he had no money on him.

Spencer walked over to the small café and pushed the door open. The woman behind the counter looked at him – frowned – and left via a door behind the counter. Reid just stood and said nothing for a while expecting her to return. When after a couple of minutes she didn't he called out to her. "Excuse me."

She returned and stood there with her hands on her hips avoiding eye contact. "What?"

Reid frowned. "I was going to ask if I can use your telephone again."

"No." She turned and started to walk away.

"Excuse me – I need to make an urgent call."

"Sorry I don't like your sort in my shop. Get out."

Reid was slightly taken aback. "My sort?" He looked down at what he was wearing.

"You were seen. Kissing and touching. I saw you touching his face and how he pushed you away."

Spencer shook his head still not quite sure what she was talking about. "I think you have misunderstood."

"No Spencer Reid. That is your name isn't it?" He nodded slowly. "I don't serve fags or queers, whatever it is you call yourself. Even your friend is repulsed by you. You are filth. You are a pervert and an animal. Get out of my shop."

Reid took a couple of steps back banging into the table behind him. "I still don't think…………."

"Your sort don't. I know all about you. Your friend told my girl Louise all about you and your wandering filthy hands."

"Lou, Louise?"

The white china coffee mug hit him on the forehead and shattered. He didn't need to be told again. Spencer turned and left. He could see the track leading down to their – his – not theirs – Floyd's cottage and walked slowly over to it and sat on the small wall facing across the fields. 

"Why would Floyd tell them that? Who was Louise? Had he really seen a prostitute? Had all of this really happened today?" He muttered to himself. The only night he had spent in the white building on the cliffs he had been unconscious. "What has Floyd been up to? What is he doing now? Was Aaron right to be suspicious about Floyd?" He stood up and looked behind him at the now unwelcoming village. He could see people staring at him. Not friendly looking people either.

He got up and walked along the track back towards home. He was in no hurry. Home was one of the last places he really wanted to be right now.

It was before eight when he got back but the sight of the small black car parked next to the house intrigued him. He walked slowly over to it and peeked in the windows. A woman's car. Lipstick in the ash tray. A hairbrush on the seat. Spencer frowned and stood up.

Biting on his bottom lip he walked around to the front of what was meant to be his seaside retreat but was turning into a nightmare. The lights were on and the front door still open almost the way he had left it. He sidled in and stood staring at the half naked woman standing in his lounge. He blinked and started to back out.

She turned slowly and watched him. "Who the hell are you?"

"I was about to ask the same thing." Spencer's response didn't sound as sure as the question.

She pulled a throw off the back of the couch and wrapped it around her. "Floyd!" She shouted sounding alarmed.

Flanders walked out of the kitchen holding two steaming bowls of food.

"Who the hell is she?" Reid spoke before Floyd. "And what the hell happened to your back. You could hardly move when I left you."

Floyd stood with the food in his hands and sighed. He should have known Spence would get home early. "You spoiled the surprise. Hope you are happy now."

"No Floyd – I can assure you this is quite a surprise!" Spencer sloped to the couch and sat down.

The woman sauntered over. "I can't remember inviting you in." She hissed at him.

Now Reid was very confused. He looked from Floyd to the woman and back again.

"Spencer – this is Louise. Louise meet Spencer. He is my slightly retarded cousin."

Reid stood up and walked over the Floyd slapping the bowls of food out of his hands. He wanted to say something but he knew that he his voice would crack and he would just look like the fool Floyd wanted him to look but he managed to whisper "Who the hell is Louise?"

Floyd looked down at the food and then to Spencer. "Clean it up you dog." He hissed under his breath. Then in a bright happy voice. "Louise sweetheart you best get dressed. Spence will clean up. I will get us some more chilli."

She swept by Spencer and started to walk up the stairs turning to glower at Reid. "That better not stain my rug." Spencer turned to Louise.

"I don't know who you think you are but this is my home and you are not welcome. I have no idea what Floyd has been telling you but he is my partner. Get your clothes on and get out."

"And I don't know what he has been telling you – freak boy – go home to your mummy. Floyd and I are getting married next week and this will be our family home once the child is born." 

Reid could see Floyd standing grinning in the doorway to the kitchen.

"Sorry Spence. I got her pregnant. Now I need to take on the responsibility of fatherhood. There is also the fact that I love her to bits." Floyd put an arm around the females waist.

"So tell me Floyd – if this isn't it – what was the surprise?" Reid thought he was going to be sick.

"I wanted you to catch us screwing in your bed – but never mind. What is done is done. Now get out." Reid took some steps backwards. 

"Floyd – why are you doing this?"

But his answer was to watch Louise walk up the stairs with her long pale legs and her long dark hair and see Floyd's hands touching her thighs and buttocks as she giggled and he kissed the small of her back.

Spencer turned and left the cottage. He took the pathway down to the beach this time and stood on the stony beach looking out at the choppy sea and the sun beginning to set.

……………………………… 

Aaron was not happy at the way things had gone today. He sat in the small bar where they had all met up to discuss the case and poked at the salad he had on the plate.

"I want to go back and talk properly to Flanders. If he isn't involved he might be able to help us out again. He did a good job last time."

Rossi looked up. "It was a shambles last time Aaron. He tried to kill one of the local officers."

Hotch nodded. "Apart from that upset, which really was my fault too. I was thinking if I could just ask him questions without taking him to the scene. Keep him at a distance. But I am sure he is going to be a well of knowledge for us on this."

Aaron started to stand up. Rossi put a hand on his arm. "You are going now? Wouldn't the morning be better? I think we all need to sleep and start afresh in the morning. Aaron."

But Hotch moved away from the salad and the table. "I will visit as a friend."

Now Morgan spoke up. "And look where that got us earlier. Do you want me to come with you?" Hotch shook his head. 

"I am just going to go see them. Not the first time I have, won't be the last. Just as a friend. Not as an agent."

…………………………

It was dark when Hotch arrived and pulled up by the small black car. He didn't look inside it, but assumed it was Reid's as the bike was Floyd's. He walked around the front of the cottage and saw the door still hadn't been repaired. Hotch walked through the gap in the door and into the room. There was a mess on the floor. Two up turned bowls of food and a smear of chilli across the rug.

Aaron stood and looked at it for a while. He could hear whispered voices from upstairs and so stood a the bottom of the stairs and called up. 

"Reid? Flanders?"

He heard a little yelp and a thud and saw Floyd coming down the stairs with a sheet wrapped around him. "What the hell do you want?"

"I wanted to talk to you about the case we are involved in. As an expert in the field I thought it would be a good idea to get some advise. Who the hell is she?" His eyes were beyond Floyd now and looking at the woman in a bathrobe standing at the bottom of the stairs.

"My you are popular aren't you?" She grinned and walked over to Hotch. "I am the future Mrs Flanders. Who are you?"

"I am Aaron Hotchner." Looking back at Floyd. "Where is Reid?"

"How the hell should I know? I kicked him out. He didn't fit in with my plans anymore. Nor do you." Floyd grabbed Aaron by the arm and started to lead him out of the building. "Aaron with me now." He turned back to Louise. "One minute pet. I need to talk to this man alone."

Once outside Flanders let go of Hotch. "Now just leave will you. Get out and leave me alone. I've done nothing so back off."

Aaron nodded. "I didn't say you had done anything. I want to know where Reid is and who she is."

"She is a whore who I got pregnant. She wont be around for long but I can't be seen to be uncaring now can I? I think Spence went down to the beach."

"You – I have no words to describe what you are."

"Thank you Agent Aaron Hotchner. I work hard to keep my reputation."

"It's dark."

"I can tell you are FBI very on the ball there Agent Aaron Hotchner." And he put a finger on the end of Aaron's nose. "Keep this out of my business." The finger moved down to Aaron's mouth. "You have such a hard mouth Aaron. Relax a bit. Breathe out occasionally." Fingers on Hotch's tie and now a fist wrapped around it pulling Aaron closer. "You still feel it don't you. Down here." A hand touching Hotch where it shouldn't. "I know you feel it. I know you want me Agent Aaron Hotchner."

"Take your hands off me Floyd and help me look for him."

Lips brushed on lips before Flanders stepped back again. "Cant leave my pregnant fiancée in there alone. I am not that cruel."

Floyd was about to go back to the cottage when they both heard it. It was more than a scream. It was like a howl from the depths of hell. They both turned and looked over towards the beach – and there it was again – only this time a word. A long drawn out scream of 'no' and it was unmistakably Spencer's voice. 

Hotch and Flanders both ran for the small path – Hotch slightly in front made it to the path first and started to run down the steep slope. It was slippery where it had been raining and the footing was unsure. Aaron didn't know the way and the only light was coming from the moon. 

Aaron could feel his heart thumping wildly as another slightly weaker scream was heard and his feet went out from under him. He started to slide over the stones and with a sudden yelp fell off the path down fifteen foot to the stony beach.

He lay groaning wondering what had happened. He had caught his head on something sharp and as he started to sit up he felt blood trickle down the side of his head and crawl along his jaw. As he pushed himself up onto his hands and knees he was knocked flying sideways by a Floyd moving at a remarkable speed in the direction of the cries. Cries which were fading and now stopping.

Floyd stopped running and just stood looking over to where the sounds had come from. He sensed Hotch was standing next to him.

"Come on – move it Flanders – we need to find him."

Floyd turned to Aaron and wiped his finger over the blood on his face. He looked at the blood on his finger and slipped it into his mouth.

"Now Floyd." But Hotch seemed to be losing the will to move from the spot as the strong wafts of Floyd seeped up his nose and into his brain.

"It's too late. They have him."

* * *


	5. Chapter 5 The Beach

The Beach

_I walked for miles at night along the beach, writing bad blank verse and searching endlessly for someone wonderful who would step out of the darkness and change my life: Anna Quindlen_

Disclaimer: Criminal Minds is not mine.

* * *

'_A complete and utter bastard.' _Was all that was going through Reid's mind as he walked down the slippery pathway and onto the beach. The first few feet were rough sand – it then became small stones and shell – finally where the sea lashed the shore there were bigger stones and seaweed. Definitely the place to paddle – if you were insane. He stood and looked for a while and the looked to his right and walked along the beach towards a large outcropping of rock. He was tempted on a couple of occasions to pick up a shell and wash off the muck in the sea, but Floyd's words still stung his ears.

The sun looked beautiful but he had hardly noticed it; his mind spinning in turmoil. He never thought Floyd would do this to him. Go off with other men, yes he knew that – well he suspected that, but never this and on top of that he had a sore throat probably brought on by the stress and the walk in the wet and now he was getting a thumping headache.

He walked to the waters edge and let his shoes get wet and the grey sea tumbled over them. A beautiful new home. It could have been wonderful, but Floyd had to choose one facing the greyest sea in existence in the middle of nowhere and then ruin everything in just twenty-four hours; if that. He put a hand up to his face and ran his fingers across his neck and to the small scar on his throat feeling the bruises and small cuts. Actually Floyd ruined it before he even stepped inside the damned place and now a woman! He bent down and picked up a handful of stones and lobbed them into the waves. What pleasure was Flanders getting out of this?

Spencer put his back to the sea and walked back to the cliff face and continued to walk along towards the outcropping. It dawned on him gradually that it was in fact quite dark. He looked back the way he had come and all he could see was the faint glow of the moon on the waves. He stood still for a minute and then walked in a small circle. There was no way in hell he would go back and he couldn't go forward, so staying here seemed the best option for now. In the dark. Alone. 

Slowly and carefully, not wanting to fall in this pitch blackness he walked to the cliff face and put out his hands to touch it. He turned his back to it and slid to the stones and sand. Pulling his legs in tight and wrapping his arms around his knees he sat and waited for what ever demons were out there to find him. He rested his head on his knees and tried to think of anything but where he was and where he would like to be. 

"It's my own fault. I drove him away. I should stay away from Aaron. I know how insecure he is." He put his hand to this throat and stroked it gently. It was hurting more now but nothing he couldn't cope with. After all he had been through. All the torture and humiliation in the past few months this was nothing compared to having to sit in the dark – alone. With those sounds. Getting closer.

"Your imagination Spencer. Don't listen to it. It's just the sea and – and whatever." He muttered to himself.

He hugged himself tighter as a breeze swept off the ocean and started to whip his hair around. "Please don't rain."

As he sat alone in the wind with the sand – what little there was of it – blowing over him and into his hair, he started to get a stabbing pain in his stomach.

"Oh god no. Not now." He could feel bile creeping it's way up into his throat. Spencer lifted his head and turned to his side where he managed to miss his clothing and be violently sick. How – he didn't know. He couldn't remember the last time he had eaten, but the pain in his throat brought tears to his eyes. The clenching in his stomach eventually stopped and he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. He knew – well he thought he knew what was happening. It had happened before. Stress – and lack of food and general fear. He was a trained FBI agent – yes unable to work with them right now, but he was trained and to be sitting in the dark vomiting and shaking with fear was not what he should be doing.

He took some deep breaths and cursed Floyd for pulling him down this far again – and that sound again. It was like someone was walking over the stones. He tensed up and stared out into the direction the sound was coming from.

"Hello?" But his voice was not much more than a mumble under his breath and the only reply was the sound of feet on the stones. He decided that standing up at this point was the best idea. As he unfolded himself he could feel the fear crowding in on him. He was sure he was imagining the sound, the same as he was imagining the thing crawling over his face. He put a hand to his cheek and brushed away the imaginary creature – it might have been real – the cockroach had been real. The one that crawled into his ear and laid eggs. That was real.

His hand was now rubbing madly at his ear and his stomach clenched up again and his throat started to close. He leaned forward and tried to vomit, but there was nothing left. He dry heaved for a while leaning forwards with the palms of this hands on the cliff face. 

With his heart thumping and the blood pounding in his ears and the terrible feeling that his throat was going to completely close up he didn't hear anything. 

He felt it.

Something grabbed him by the hair and dragged him away from the wall. 

The noise he made was a howl of surprise and at first he thought it might be Floyd but the smell – the god awful smell. This was not Floyd and as he was dragged and he moved his hands to his head to try to get what it was off him something grabbed his legs and picked him up off the ground.

Spencer could feel the scream building up inside of him. He didn't want to. He wanted to keep himself together. It was a nightmare. Yes….he had fallen asleep and was having a nightmare. This wasn't happening. He was still back at the cliff face curled up and sleeping. But hell this hurt. He moved his hands to the ones he could feel in his hair and pulled at the tight fingers, bending them and twisting until finally the fingers parted company with his hair.

He fell face first onto the rocks he had been carried over. All movement stopped as he let out a wail of fear and panic mixed with a bit of complete terror and pain. The sound echoed eerily from the cliffs making his howl of distress sound worse than it was. Maybe – or maybe he did sound like an animal being slaughtered.

Now he was being turned. Whoever had him by the feet pulled his shoes off and threw them to the side and started to drag him by his feet over the rocks. He put his hands on the rocks trying to grip and stop this person dragging him away. The foot stamping down on his hand made him move them away which in turn caused his face to smack into the surface below him.

"Please stop. Let me go." His voice hurt so much now he could hardly talk. 

He got a response. His feet were dropped and he put his hands to his face and felt the warm stickiness coming from a nice new cut on his chin. Then the pain started again. A kick firstly to his stomach which knocked the wind out of him. He tried to curl up on his side and protect his kidneys but another kick this time to his ribs forced him over onto his back – and something hit his face. A large stone. Again he put his hands to his face to protect it only to find them pulled away and someone standing on each.

Spencer was sure he heard a short burst of laughter as more rocks and stones were thrown. He shouted out for them to stop. He begged them to let him go, but still they pounded him with easy to come by weapons on the beach. They kept most of the attack away from his face and on his ribs, stomach and upper legs. He writhed and wriggled and struggled to move out of the way until his feet were held in place.

Someone somewhere shouted 'NO!' and he thought it might have been him, but he wasn't sure. The rocks continued to smack into his body until he lay quietly. He had bitten down on his bottom lip and a small amount of blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.

He could hear an animal crying like it was caught in a trap calling out before it died. A kick to the groin made him moan and buck, but not much sound was left in him now to be able to release. 

The rock smacked on the side of his head was the thing which finally silenced the noisy Spencer Reid so he didn't feel them pick him up again and continue their walk over the rocks.

………………….

"Who?"

"Well how the hell should I know!"

"You said 'They have him.'"

"Bollocks did I!"

Floyd started to move forward again towards where the sound came from. Aaron close behind shouting out to him. 

"Flanders, what is going on? You know something. What is out there? What has Reid." He could see Floyd was picking up speed as he swept over the stony beach.

"Save your breath – you will need it to keep up."

Hotch pulled his gun and a flashlight as they hurtled over the pebbles the light swung wildly as they ran – Floyd seemed to barely touch the ground – Aaron tripping occasionally. How long they ran for Hotch wasn't sure of but his breath was getting short when Flanders suddenly stopped turned and grabbed by the arm. 

"Stay here. Give me that flashlight."

"No and no. I am coming with you and I will carry the torch. What's wrong?"

"I can smell him." Floyd started to walk over to the cliff face. "Shine that thing over here will you?"

Aaron lit up the dark eerie cliff face and started to walk forwards. Floyd was crouched with his fingers on the ground. "What is it?" Hotch stood next to him.

"Keep quiet and keep still. Shine that on the ground. I smell him. It's strong, but something is wrong. I can smell fear and – and his stomach contents."

Hotch stood still shining the torch at the ground, but anything which had been expelled from Spencer's stomach had slipped away under the sand and between the stones. "Obviously you can smell fear Floyd. He was out here in the dark and he was screaming. Doesn't take a genius to work that one out."

"I told you to be quiet." Floyd moved slowly forwards touching the stones with this fingertips. "He had guests – but I think we know that too. More than one." He stood and turned towards where he could see in the moon light a rocky outcropping. Slowly he walked towards it. "Keep the light down. I am looking for something."

Hotch walked at his side until again Floyd stopped him. "His shoes." Flanders pointed to them.

A nasty knot of panic hitched in Aaron's stomach.

A nasty knot of a totally unknown feeling but one he wanted to go away, hitched in Floyd's stomach.

Aaron walked over and picked up Spencer' brown leather shoes he turned them over in his hands not quite sure what to do with them then placed them carefully on the top of a boulder. He heard Floyd make a small sound in the back of his throat. "Aaron." Not much more than a moan.

Hotch walked over to where Floyd again crouched was looking at his fingers. "What is it?" He shone the flashlight around where Flanders was crouched. "Oh god no." There was blood smeared over the rocks. They could clearly see the drag marks. They could see where he had tried to stop them taking him. Bloody finger hand left marks over the rocks. There was a splatter of blood which Floyd was now running his fingers through. "This is Reid?"

A nod.

"You are sure." He watched as Floyd slowly licked his now bloodied fingers.

"I am sure." He wiped his fingers again over Spencer's blood and again licked it off.

"Do you have to do that?" Watching Floyd was making Aaron feel sick.

"The first time – that was to make sure. The second time – that was because he tastes so sweet. This third time – this will be because I crave that taste."

"You are a vile creature Flanders."

Floyd stood up and stood too closely in front of Aaron. "You don't mean that. I know you don't mean that. You are in denial Aaron. You desire me as much as Spence does. You just don't want to admit it."

"Your nose is bleeding."

"Don't change the subject. We need to find him." Floyd licked his lips and put a hand out pushing the hair off Hotch's forehead. "You are quite stunning in this light Aaron. We should go walking at night more often. I could relieve you of some of your tension." 

Aaron reached out and touched Floyd on the end of his nose. "Your nose is bleeding." He repeated. It was all Floyd needed to hear really. Aaron was his

to use and throw away as he wanted. He tipped his head back and felt the lovely feel of his blood sliding down the back of his throat. Such a delight. He smiled at Hotch.

"Let's go get Spence."

* * *


	6. Chapter 6 Blood Trail

Blood Trail

_Love is much like a wild rose, beautiful and calm, but willing to draw __blood__ in its defence__: - __Mark Overby _

Disclaimer: Criminal Minds is not mine.

* * *

She stood outside the cottage and looked around. No sign of either of them. Floyd had just gone off somewhere. She walked back in the cottage and looked around. It was a nice place but she didn't fancy being here on her own in the dark with a door she couldn't close. 

Louise rubbed her hand over her tummy and smiled. "At least I have you and now I have you, I have him." She wandered back up the stairs and pulled on her slightly too short skirt over her twinkly golden thong and put her plunging necked tiger print top back on and picked up a hair brush off the side and looked at it. Longish auburn hair. That wasn't Floyd's. "Must be his cousin's." she muttered to herself. She left with her very high heeled red shoes and red bag thrown over her shoulder. She stood and looked at the sea in the moon light for a minute then got in her car and drove off back the way she had come.

………………….

Spencer was only half aware of what was happening. Whoever this was had tied his feet together and on his back he was being dragged down tunnels. It was pitch black except for the occasional burning brand someone would be holding. Sometimes they stopped and muttered things to each other. They had reached a quite well lit part of wherever they were and the rope Spencer was being dragged along by was released. He immediately put rolled onto his side and tried to pull the rope off his ankles but his fingers were sore and bloodied and his vision was off and blurry. The shaking hands didn't make it any easier but someone jerked on the rope and pulled his feet out of his reach.

"Stop that." Someone grumbled at him and pushed him onto his back again. "Get your shirt off." In Reid's confused state he didn't realise they were talking to him…Why would they want him to take his shirt off? And so he tried again to roll over onto his side only to find hands pulling him back again. "What's your name." A foul breathed hissing in his ear.

"Sp-Spencer." It hurt to talk with his yelling and howling and the throat infection he seemed to have picked up from somewhere.

"Guessed as much. Shirt off Spencer."

Slowly he started to unbutton the front of his shirt. "Who are you?"

"Anymore questions and we do this with you asleep. Understand?"

A small nod. He didn't want to antagonise these people. There were too many of them for him to be able to get far and the ages old trick of removing the shoes would slow him down. So for now he did as he was asked and removed his shirt. Someone moved forwards and looked at the pattern of bruises forming over his skin, but he didn't comment. He just looked. He then grabbed Spencer's hand and dropped a dirty rag onto his lap.

"Ya gonna be needing that. Now keep still or this wont work." He did it before Reid had time to react or even see what the man was doing. The slice across his wrist was deep and Reid could feel his stomach twist in sudden panic as he saw his blood bubble up and pour from the wound in his arm. He felt again like this was a nightmare. Something he must wake up from soon as he looked down and watched the guy catch the blood in a small container. He looked up at the circle of men and woman surrounding him. They didn't look violent, or insane, just interested in what was going on. 

Spencer watched in a daze as the man removed the container and put Reid's shirt on the ground and rested his hand on it. "We need some blood on your shirt, then you can use that rag to stop the bleeding."

All Reid could think to say was. "Oh." And that felt like he was talking with razor blades in his throat. He watched them start to staunch the wound with his shirt then pulled it away and put the cloth in his hands other hand.

With trembling hands he pressed the filthy rag against his wrist. They walked off with the container and shirt, one of them turning back to say. "Get him ready. We don't have all night."

The rag was ripped out of his hands and thrown to the floor. They removed the rope from around his feet and pulled him up to stand. Spencer wobbled a bit with the shock and sudden blood loss and obviously from the clout to the head but he wasn't going let these people see that he was in pain physically and mentally right now. 

A big wooden contraption was carried over and he knew straight away what it was. They stood in front of him and grabbed at his hands. The thing went around his neck and held his wrists up at shoulder height. Basic stocks. It was wooden and heavy and Reid could feel the rough wood opening up the gash on his wrist and he could feel the blood trickling down his arm.

One of the men stepped forwards and wrapped cling film around it thus sealing in the wet ooze. A chain led from the stocks to a big bloke standing in front of him. "Are you ready?"

"For wh- what?" Now his voice no longer sounded like his. It was low and horse and rough.

"Just close your eyes." 

"What are you going to do?" Hell it hurt to talk!

"It will sting if it gets in your eyes…so close them or be in pain. Your decision. I don't give a shit on way or the other."

Spencer stood swaying slightly and closed his eyes. He was expecting pain from fists and feet. What he got was very wet and it stank – and it was a smell he recognised. They were soaking him in urine. Reid coughed and spat and some made its way into his slightly open mouth and now he was leaning forwards trying to be sick again. His body trembling and shaking and now he was being prodded from behind. "Move it." And the chain jerked forward forcing him to walked through the puddle on the floor and into a dark tunnel. The noticed that as they left – by a different route to the others went that they removed the burning brands and brought them with them.

He tried to be dignified with all of this, but it wasn't easy when you are soaked in someone else's piss and restrained like a medieval prisoner. He would have liked to have asked where they were going. It didn't seem like they wanted him dead. There was something else going on here and he wanted to talk to these people to try to profile them and to work out why he was here and how they knew him. They seemed almost to be expecting him.

'_Go for a walk. Leave me alone for a few hours. Collect sea shells and go paddling.'_

Floyd. He had wanted him to be down there alone. He knew this was going to happen. All of this pretence. The cottage away from it all on the coast. The small friendly village. Well he made sure he wouldn't go back there again. Where else was there? The beach. Where they had been waiting for him.

Tears of anger started to prickle at the back of his eyes. Why had he done this? If he wanted him dead or removed, Floyd was capable of doing that. Why this elaborate game? Well there was his answer. It was a sick game and now to make the game even better fun he was getting a terrible pain in his abdomen and shooting pains down into his groin. He knew he had a temperature now, he was too hot and sweaty and the stink was constantly making him retch straining on his throat.

………………………

"Let's go get Spence." Floyd said the words but his eyes wouldn't be torn away from the way the moon reflected off Aaron. He could feel those animalist urges flooding his body and like a mudslide all thoughts of Spencer were slowly covered as his mind directed itself only at Hotch.

Aaron felt the sudden change. The atmosphere suddenly felt electric. Aaron turned to see Floyd's dark eyes looking at him. "What? Floyd what's wrong."

Floyd pounced. He pushed Aaron back onto the rocks and suddenly Floyd seemed to have more than one pair of hands. For a minute, maybe two Hotch fought back, but the hands and the mouth and the tongue soon dragged him down into silence. The only noises he could make were soft whimperings and moans as Floyd's smell engulfed him and made his head swim and forget why they where here on the beach at night under the moon, listening to the sea lash the shore and those hands!

"Floyd. No – stop." Hotch finally managed to say, but he knew it was words on deaf ears as hands ripped at his shirt and pulled at his tie and teeth nibbled and bit at his flesh. 

Flanders was beyond the ability to talk. He could feel his mind twisting and burning as suddenly his nose began to bleed again. It dropped in clots and streams of thick warm redness. It splashed on Aaron's face and dripped on his chest and over his neck. Floyd licked at the mess not feeling the hands in his hair trying to push him back.

Hotch could feel blood dripping onto his face. He wanted Floyd to stop. He wanted to stop the bleeding for him, but as the felt the tongue licking greedily at his skin it seemed to wind Floyd up into a deeper frenzy of need. Hotch held onto Floyd's hair as much to push him away as to keep him where he was writhing and touching him and making small yelps and cries of lust.

He felt Flanders lips brush over his and he felt hands holding tightly onto his hair and now the mouth was grinding down and forcing Hotch's mouth open. He lay on the rocks on the beach totally helpless against the assault. He knew this shouldn't be happening, that they – oh god he could taste Floyds blood in his mouth – that he should – tongues touching tongues – there was something he should be doing – but this – whatever this was…and Aaron's mind went dead to everything but the sensations rushing through his body. Everything else forgotten.

……………………

They dragged the stinking creature deep down the tunnels…twisting and turning some paths going down, and some sloping upwards. The only light was that coming from the brand the leading man had in his hand. He kept kicking stones and standing on things on the floor of these what looked like ancient passage ways.

They finally came out into a huge underground cave. Spencer looked up and around and he realised that his nightmare was only just beginning. There were cages around the walls. Small cages. Man sized cages. Some where hanging and some sitting on the floor. Some had bones in them and some had what might have once been people in them. At the far end of the room there was a row of hideous dolls standing leaning on the wall. Reid wanted to scream. He had seen those dolls before, but only smaller versions. He would recognise Floyd's handiwork anywhere. 

The pain in his groin was now so bad he could hardly stand. Actually all he wanted to do now was to lay on the floor and curl up until this was over, but that luxury was not permitted. He was pulled over to a cage with a mostly rotten corpse in it. They pulled open the door and looked at Reid. The big guy came over and unlocked the stocks then pushed him back into the cage. There was no room to sit. The space was too confined. All he could do was stand stinking covered in urine feeling the rotting flesh under his feet. The fluids seeping into his socks and he smells rushing up his nose.

It was at this point that he finally passed out. 

* * *


	7. Chapter 7 Trap

Trap

**A/N: Please beware; once again this fiction might contain very slight hardly noticeable slashy undertones. Read at your own risk!**

_Sacred cows make the best hamburger__: - __Mark Twain_

Disclaimer: Criminal Minds is not mine.

* * *

"Aaron." Floyd's voice was husky and dark. "We need to find Spence. You have to stop seducing me like this." Floyd looked down into the far away eyes of Hotch and grinned a big toothy blood smeared smile on the outside and a small spiteful smirk on the inside. Blood was still dripping out of his nose as he moved back and straddled the man he had emotionally raped on the beach in the moonlight and tipped his head back. He moaned softly and sighed happily at the feeling of the blood running down the back of his throat. With great reluctance he put thumb and finger to the bridge of his nose and held.

How many times had he been told this was not the way to stop a nose bleed and how many times had he tried to explain that this was not blood coming from his nose. Well yes it is coming from his nose. A hand played over Aaron's stomach as he thought. It exits via his nose, but it doesn't originate from there. People don't wish to understand. He took his fingers from the bridge of his nose and ran them over a small indent on his hairline and then looked down at Aaron who had placed his hand over his own as it drew circles on his abdomen.

"Did you say something?" Hotch's voice sounded faint and distant.

"Spencer. We need to find him."

Floyd pulled away from Hotch and stood putting a hand out to the mad laying shaking on the stony beach. Hotch put out a hand and grasped Floyd's tightly as he climbed back onto his feet.

"What? .." Aaron shook his head trying to rid his mind of the confusing thought rattling around in it.

"Spence. We are wasting time."

They walked in silence – Aaron trying to get to grips with what had gone on back there on the beach, and Floyd taking in the air and thus tracking down where 'they' had taken Reid. The journey eventually saw them standing at the mouth of a very small cave entrance. To Aaron the next step seemed obvious. They now had to get into the cave and find Spencer, though from here it didn't look like the cave went back for very far. For Floyd things couldn't have felt more different. Something was messing with his senses. Something was playing with him and he didn't like it. Almost as though some of his self control was being licked away and right now self control was the only thing stopping him from raping Aaron and leaving his blooded beaten body to the crows.

"We need to hurry." His words didn't feel right in his mouth. They fell out as the words often did when what he was saying was not the truth. "Agent Aaron Hotchner?" He found he was turning to Aaron and seeing him again through the eyes of lust and need. "Quickly." Deep hard breaths pulling in the flavours of the sea air and pushing the animal back into its cage.

Hotch had noticed that Floyd had been acting strangely but he hadn't been behaving in a very Floydian manner for a while, so this was just another twist. Aaron was still learning to get used to these things. It had taken Reid years to get where he was and he had only been getting close to Flanders for a few months. Though it felt like he had known him for many life times. He let Floyd take the lead and walk in to the cave. Hotch had the flashlight and swung it around the small area once they were both inside. Now here it was obvious that there was more to this small place than met the eye.

Flanders walked quickly to the rear of the cave and put fingers to the wall and then down to the floor. At the back there seemed to be three different ways they could go. To each Floyd went and tasted the earth and touched the rocks and breathed in the air.

Without a word he turn and indicated the left hand passage and then started to walk down it. Even to Hotch's untrained – in tracking something you neither see hear or smell – eye he could tell they had come this way. They passage was well travelled. There were obvious marks and scrapings on the rock to tell them that people had come this way. When finally it opened up into a wider tunnel Floyd stopped dead in his tracks.

A quiet voice. "There is something not right about this. The smells… there is something wrong about the smells."

Hotch came to stand by Floyd and he too could smell something odd. "What is that smell? Bats?" It was so strong it was threatening to make Aaron's dark eyes water.

"Piss."

"What?"

"No the smell. It's urine. Human and not fresh." Floyd put the back of his hand to his nose. "Sometimes this is used to put off tracking by smell, but – why would that be here?" He moved forwards a bit more. "There are other smells too. I am having a problem deciphering them." He crouched and put his fingers to the flood. "Spence was here. I can smell his blood, but this dampness is where the smell is coming from." He stood and walked beyond where Spencer had been soaked and stood looking at the two tunnels he now had a choice to make.

He looked back at Hotch and felt a vile twisting in his stomach. Something was really trying to distract him here and he wasn't going to let it win. "I can smell him from this way – but the other way there is something too, I just don't know what it is."

"What sort of smell? Blood? Sweat? Just him? Elucidate for me."

"All – even fear – but there is something the other way too, but I cannot – Agent Aaron Hotchner – don't stand in my pocket, keep away." He hissed back at Hotch and gave him a shove with a hand which really wanted to hold him and run it fingers through his hair and – "Sod it." He turned back to Hotch. "I am going to give you a warning Aaron. I am finding my self control very fragile right now. This isn't coming naturally to me - I know I am being played with and that is the only reason you are not being buggered by me right now. Keep back. I need to find Spencer and you are so very distracting!" 

Hotch didn't fully understand what Floyd was getting at, but kept back anyway. Avoiding Floyd when he was on that line between normal behaviour and being the psychopath they always thought of him as was the best thing to do, but he needed to be there to help find Spencer. Not the most comfortable position to be in.

Floyd could smell the blood and he could smell the sweat and so this was the way he decided to go for now. If this was a false trail he would soon know. He kept close to the edges of the tunnel and Hotch behind him walked down the middle shining the light down in front of them. There was nothing. The tunnel turned and it twisted and the smell to Floyd was just as strong but he was losing his focus and thinking about the person walking behind him, who for some reason was causing problems today. Was it because he had spent time with the whore? He suspected it was – his body just needed to adapt back again. In future he knew – he knew it already but the lesson had been forgotten – to keep well away from whores. All women were whores and bitches. He was grinding his teeth together and muttering about whores when a sudden yelp and howl of pain from behind him made him turn. 

The light from the flashlight has disappeared and Floyd could hear Aaron's moans of pain. Slowly Floyd walked forwards and saw the light from down a pit.

"You fell down a fucking pit? You stupid sonofabitch!"

Aaron wasn't sure what was happening, one minute he as watching the way Floyd moved in those low cut jeans and the way his shoulders fitted that grubby shirt and looking at the way the waistcoat did up at the back and then the floor opened up under him.

Had it just been a fall it wouldn't have been so bad, but as he lay there at the bottom of the pit he could feel something warm and wet soaking up into his legs and abdomen. He tried to move and then the pain hit.

Flanders could see in the odd light down the pit the blood spreading out under Hotch's hips and his legs and he could see the long spikes pushed up through his body. He sat on the edge of the pit and lowered himself down. "You are bloody – hell – I don't know if there is a word for this!" Floyd ran his fingers over the spikes sticking through Aaron and could feel the slick blood tormenting him.

"You're bleeding." He whispered. "A lot." He moved down so he was kneeling by Aaron's head. "Don't move."

"Hardly." It hurt to talk. Hotch bit onto his bottom lip and tried not to cry out in pain as Floyd moved back down again and investigated the wounds better with the torch.

"Through your thigh. Outer edge. I think that one will be good." A mumbled sound as a reply. "The other is through the skin on the side of your ribs. It hasn't hit internal organs. Aaron – I need to pull your off them. The one in your leg is about six inches through. The one in your side is a bit longer. Penknife."

Again a mumble as a reply.

"I need a penknife. Something I can cut with. They are wooden spikes. I need to cut it down a bit then I will just hoik you off it."

"Don't have one."

"No worries."

Floyd leaned over the spike sticking out of the back of Aaron's leg. This was going to cause him major problems, but he had no over choice. He couldn't leave him here. He needed him on side. He lowered his head trying not to breath in the smell of Aaron's delicious blood. He ran his tongue slowly over the spike and then down to Hotch's leg. "I need to – erm – clean it." He could feel his breathing getting heavier as he cleaned the blood away with his mouth and tongue and lips. Once done, he lowered his mouth over the spike. "Oh god." He muttered to himself. One hand on either side of the spike which was sliding down over his tongue. He gripped it with his sharp teeth and bit. He bit down hard.

Hotch wasn't sure what the hell Floyd was doing to him, but it had a very sensual feeling to it. He was in so much pain he wanted to scream out, but still what Flanders was doing with that mouth of his was over riding those feelings. He could smell the sudden wafts of whatever it was Floyd's body released at times like this and he could hear the heavy breathing and feel the fingers digging into the back of his leg.

The action was repeated on the other spike. The mouth the lips the tongue lapping at the blood and moving over the skin. Hotch was sure the spike was not that close to his spine, but Floyd seemed especially interested in that part of Hotch's body – that little part of his back where his back dipped slightly. He could feel Flanders hands moving over his back and his hair tickling.

"I can't move you yet. We need to wait for the bleeding to slow down. There is a risk that I will eventually just drink you to death." Floyd liked that idea but this was not where he would choose to carry out that little pleasure.

"Go and find Reid." 

"NO no no…I wont leave you. I will get you off the spikes first at least." He lay down on the floor at the bottom of the pit next to Aaron. "I will wait."

"Please – go and find him Floyd. We don't have time for this."

"Hush. Just lay still and quiet. Then we will get Spencer."

Floyd lay on his side down the pit and smiled at the trapped rabbit in the snare. What a lovely sight. How could this evening get any better?

…………………………..

He woke up when the cage door was opened and he fell forwards onto his face. He made a small squeak of surprise and a longer moan of extreme pain.

"Get up."

Spencer pushed himself up to his knees and then shakily got to his feet. He was swaying and the pain he was in was unbelievable. He wanted water to sooth his throat. He needed to do something with the pain in his abdomen and down into his groin and no his lower back too. He moaned and tried to fold himself up into a ball on the floor. His skin was dry and hot and his vision blurry but he could still smell the stench of both what they had poured over him and what he had been standing in. A thick leather collar was put around his neck and fastened at the back. His hands were tied in front of him.

"This way." A push and he was walking trying to bend over and relieve some of the pain he was in. It felt like he had been kicked repeatedly between the legs. Maybe he had. It was probably from the stoning. He couldn't remember now. They pushed and pulled him over to where the dolls stood. Now he could see then closer he could see they were very old. Ancient things. They couldn't have been made by Floyd they were much too old. He tried to figure out what the connection might be as he felt them turn him to face away from the wall. They pulled something down from the ceiling and attached it to the back of the collar. He was then hoisted up so he still had his feet on the ground but he couldn't curl into the pain.

"Spencer." Fingers under his chin to lift his face up. "I am very disappointed. This is not the result we had been hoping for, but all is not lost."

He didn't say anything. He couldn't. His throat would no longer allow words.

"You not feeling too well Spencer?"

He blinked.

"Well that is the reason you are such a disappointment. Listen to this."

Reid just stared at him.

"You will need garlic and ginger paste some vinegar a bit of chopped fenugreek a pinch of salt a pinch of pepper, some garam masala, coriander and obviously chopped chillies. You grind it all together with the ground meat and let is marinade for half an hour. You then shape it into tubes and grill for about fifteen minutes – remembering to turn so it browns evenly oh and brush with oil. Sound nice?"

Reid blinked again. 

"But – here is the problem Spencer." Reid could feel a hand undoing his belt and unfastening the top button on his trousers. "The problem is that you are not well are you? So – we can't use you. Well not for that, but the dolls here, they are old and somewhat shabby. They need replacing. It wont matter if we used some vile diseased creature for that. Actually it would be a better ending for you don't you think? You will be horrifying people and repulsing visitors for eternity. Much better than a quick Reshmi Kabab. What do you say? Well probably not much. Sore throat. Pains where you shouldn't have them. Nasty very nasty, and avoidable."

He turned away from Reid who was trying to let all this information form sense in his mind.

"Strip him and prepare him. I thinkit will likeits modesty kept. That is fine with me. I don't want to see what this foul disease has done toits body anyway. Make sure you wash it and oil it. Do not give it food or water. The more dehydrated the better."

One more look back at Spencer and he was gone.

Reid stood swaying by the collar around his neck and felt them remove his trousers and socks. He was shivering and shaking, if through shock or cold or because he was ill, he didn't know.

He just knew that right now would be a brilliant time for Floyd to arrive.

* * *


	8. Chapter 8 Dolls and Diseases

Dolls and Diseases

_There's an awful lot of blood around that water is thicker than: - Mignon McLaughlin_

Disclaimer: Criminal Minds is not mine.

* * *

They massaged his skin with pungent oils. The smell wasn't pleasant. It made his nose run and his eyes water. They massaged almost every part of his body. The only bit the missed was his groin. There was some sort of discussion going on when they were standing behind him rubbing oils into his buttocks, but the voices were low and whispered.

After they had oiled him they pulled his hair back and tied it back into a rough pony tail.

A small dark haired man stood now in front of Spencer with a marker pen in his hand. He smiled at Spencer and then walked around him running his hand over Reid's skin. Spencer let out a moan of discomfort as the man pinched and prodded at him.

"Such a shame. Nice and young and tender. A good age. Too young and there just isn't enough meat on the bones. Saying that though Spencer – you don't mind me calling you that do you? – you are a bit on the skinny side." He pulled what looked alike a potato peeler out of his pocket. "I need to take a sample. Your blood is bad. So you will have to be drained, but that will make the process all the more exciting. You wont rot as quickly. But yes a sample first to check the skin."

He twisted Spencer's restrained hands so he could see the inner arm. The man ran a finger down the smooth white flesh and drew a faint line from elbow to wrist.

Reid tried to pull his hands away, he tried turning from the man but every movement shot waves of pain through his lower torso. "Hurts I expect." Reid met the man's eyes and frowned. "Hurts to talk to? Poor you, you are in a bit of a state aren't you. You should have gone to see a doctor." Reid felt a finger run over the small scar on this throat. "Might have to open that up again if it gets real bad, but Spencer, I think you will be dead long before we need to worry about you not being able to breath." 

Reid didn't want to let this person know the fear he was feeling. He wanted to cooperate and get whatever this was over with. He tried to smile thinking. At least they won't eat me. 

"Right then young man let us get started. I need to warn you that this might sting slightly, but it is a necessity. If your skin is a rotten as your blood then you will be rejected totally and just cast out. You don't want that." He indicated the bodies and bones in cages. "You really don't want to end up like that do you."

A small shake of the head.

The man turned slightly and called out to someone. "Louis, bring me a sample bag and knife will you?"

Louis walked over and looked at Spencer in the eyes. "This one is trash. Get rid of it. It's no use to us. Even if it wasn't dirty it would be too thin and we don't have time to fatten it up.

"The skin is good. Nice and supple. I need a test strip."

Reid's eyes went big and he let out a small sound of horror as the man again twisted his arm to show the inner softer hairless skin and placed the thing which looked like a peeler against the crook of his elbow.

"OK…as I said this will sting." He pressed into the skin on Spencer's arm and moved in one quick well practiced movement down to his wrist. I didn't seem to matter that he had razor blades in his throat he still managed a scream which tore from his mouth where from the pit of his stomach. The man looked up at his face and then down at what he had done. "If you thought that hurt boy – wait until we do your pretty little face." He carefully removed a long strip of bloody skin from where it had slid down at Spencer's wrist. "Other arm."

He kicked out and twisted and tried to keep his arm away from the mad man but with the help of a few others they held him still and ripped a sample of skin from his other arm. The bits were put in the sample bag which Louis had been carrying. 

"Right Spencer. I am going to clean this up and get back to you. I will let you know if it is any good." He turned to the standing crowd. "Don't feed it or water it. I don't care if it begs and snivels and cries. I need the skin as it is." He put his hand on the shoulder of a young child. "Watch my sweet, but don't let curiosity get the better of you. It kicks." 

The child looked up and nodded. 

Spencer thought he was going to faint, but that wasn't an option. He tried to look at the damage they had just done to him but as he looked at it the sight of the shredded flesh made him heave. He wanted to bend over and try to relieve the pain he was in around this lower abdomen. He wanted to at least tip his head forward try to empty what he didn't have in his stomach onto the floor. As it was the acidic mess bubbled out of his mouth and down his chin. He lifted his hands to wipe it away and could now see properly the blood dripping from his inner arms. His started to see that old familiar greyness seeping around the edge of his vision.

'_No don't pass out; you will asphyxiate on the collar. Stay awake.' _

There was one last option he could think of. Something he hadn't done in a while and it had seemed the last few times it hadn't been very successful.

………………………

He lay down the pit with Aaron for an unknown length of time. It was quite delicious though – the smells assailed him and made him light headed almost like he had just downed a bottle of whiskey. He kept checking on the wounds and touching them carefully and licking the fluid off his finger tips but now it seemed to have at last settled to a point that the thought he could pull Aaron off the spikes. Firstly though there was something very important he had to do. He knew it had nothing to do with that small part of Hotch's back he kept getting drawn back to, but he was finding it really hard to focus. As he again ran a hand over Hotch's back he leaned forward and spoke directly into his ear. 

"Aaron, it's time. Bite on something – its going to hurt." He stood astride Hotch and bent over holding him by the hips. "I'm just going to pull you straight off."

He gripped tightly. Floyd knew full well this was going to make him bleed again and be in so much pain he would hardly be able to move but – but the smell it would create - just the thought of the blood and the taste and the tearing of flesh made his mouth water. With a final sigh he readied him self just as a scream of pain shot through his head. There were no words just feelings. 

Aaron could feel the hands on his hips and he held his teeth tightly together – he could feel Floyd tensing ready to pull him off, when suddenly things went wrong. He heard Flanders howl in pain and then felt the sudden weight of him falling forwards onto Aaron's back. He watched as Floyd rolled of him onto the floor with his hands over his ears and blood virtually spurting from his nose. He was laying on his back coughing and gagging and moaning.

"No don't do that. Stop – Spence stop."

All Floyd could hear now was the wail of pain and terror inside his head…a long drawn out noise he couldn't get rid of.

Hotch could see in the faint light from the torch the blood oozing from between Floyd's fingers. "Floyd – what's happening? Get me off here, let me help you."

But Floyd could hear nothing – the only sounds was the strange gurgling of fluids in his ear and the screams ripping through his mind. He looked at Aaron as though for the first time, and if Aaron didn't know better he would have thought that a tear developing at the corner of Floyd's eye. 

Flanders moved quickly…Aaron could see the red sticky mess sliding down the sides of his face and soaking into his collar. The blood from his nose had slowed and was dripping off his chin and running in rivulets down the front of his neck and soaking slowly into the fabric on the front of his now not very white shirt. He stood astride behind Hotch and slid his hands under his arms. "Gonna hurt." He muttered and with one pull ripped Hotch off the spikes. He could have done this hours ago – he should have done this hours ago. If he hadn't been stalling. He quickly wrapped a hand around Aaron's mouth to stifle the scream he could feel bubbling up from inside him. 

He felt the spikes pulling at the skin and muscle as Floyd suddenly pulled him backwards and up off the wooden spikes. He opened his mouth to scream in the sudden pain but a bloodied hand slapped across his mouth – and nose – stopped all sound. Floyd pulled Hotch close. One arm around his chest the other still over his mouth and nose. The smells and the pain and the heat was becoming too much. He hadn't had a scream through his head like that for so long he had almost forgotten how to deal with it. He had to shut Aaron up. He had to stop him confusing him like this. It was Spencer he wanted. It was Spencer he needed. Not Aaron. 

"_You just want it all don't you?"_ Anthony hissed in his ear.

"Not the time for this." Some how he could hear Anthony through the blood still dripping from his ears and the screams still bouncing around his mind.

"_Finish it Floyd. Break his neck. Do it quickly."_

"Shut up."

"_Come on! What are you so afraid of?"_

"I'm not afraid." He could feel Hotch struggling against him as he pulled him in closer and clamped his hand over his mouth and nose tighter, his fingernails biting into Aaron's face making moon shaped cuts.

"_Then don't make him suffer the way you did me. You don't feel for this one. This one is nothing. Get rid of him and get back to Spencer."_

"I told you to shut up!"

"_Fine but you are wasting time. He will be dead before you get there. They won't care who he is. You know they won't care. You know what they will do to him."_

As he felt Aaron's struggles slow down he took his hand away and let him drop to the floor.

"Get up Agent Aaron Hotchner. You have wasted enough of my time. We are meant to be finding Spencer."

Hotch lay gasping for the breath Floyd had stopped him taking and tried to roll over onto his side without the injury. "What is your problem Flanders? Help me up and out of here." Flanders could hear better now. The screaming in his head and stopped and the blood from his ears was reduced to a very slow drip.

"If you weren't already crawling around like a dirty animal I would kick your sodding teeth in. If Spence is dead I will blame you."

He pulled Hotch up to his feet and pushed him face first against the wall. A tiny little prickle danced around in Floyds mind as the looked at the back and the curve of the buttocks, so he quickly turned and climbed his way up out of the pit. 

"Give me your hands." Aaron could hear the voice from the rim of the pit. He reached up and Floyd grabbed and pulled all in once movement. He dragged him away from the edge and let go of him. "Can you walk?"

"I'm not sure." Floyd watched Hotch start to push up from the floor.

"Well Agent Aaron Hotchner – here's the thing – Spence is being tortured and I don't have time to waste helping you. So go back and wait for me at home, or come with me, or failing that, I can finish you off. Either way I don't care. Just don't get in my way."

Hotch leaned on the wall. "I won't. Just give me time.

Floyd walked slowly along the edge of the tunnel. Hotch having now to hold onto the edge of the tunnel with one hand and his side with the other was following close behind. This time is mind was focused on Spencer and not on Floyd's behind.

They kept walking in silence. Hotch because he really could think of nothing to say to this man whose mood changed so quickly and suddenly. He was beginning to see why Spencer couldn't remove himself from this man. The good times were completely mind blowing. The bad terrifying. An adrenaline rush he was sure Reid was unable to reason with. Hotch wasn't quite as easy. In a lot of ways. The sudden voice made him jump and he saw Floyd move quickly off in the direction it had come from. Hotch stood and watched not fully able to understand this situation. His brilliant profiling mind had been well and truly scrambled by Flanders.

"Floyd." The voice called. "You took your time."

Floyd looked back at Hotch and walked over to the owner of the voice.

"Well be thankful I am here at all. We talked about this."

"Thankful?" A snort of laughter. "And we didn't agree to your terms." The voice was low and carried a strange accent.

"I need him back."

"Well then we have a problem don't we." 

* * *

_Other things may change us, but we start and end with the family: - Anthony Brandt_


	9. Chapter 9 Skin

Skin

_Nothing I've ever done has given me more joys and rewards than being a father to my children: - __Bill Cosby _

Disclaimer: Criminal Minds is not mine.

* * *

Floyd took a step back. "Then I want his body." Cold and to the point. Hotch watched from where he was, taking in the conversation going on. They definitely seemed to know each other.

"We need the parts. You know that."

Floyd gave Aaron a quick look and the resumed his chat. "I will help then. I know his body better than you do. I will know."

"You won't be leaving with him. You can come to watch, but you won't talk to her."

A small nod. "Fine I won't talk to her. I need to see Spencer."

"And him?" indicating Hotch.

"He is my erm – my - friend." The word stuck there at the back of this throat and tasted bitter and foul.

The man started to walk down the tunnel as Floyd turned again to Aaron. "Quickly – this will be our only chance."

Hotch limped and staggered to stand next to Flanders. "Who was that? How do you know him and what's going on with Spencer? What's going on with you?"

"Just stay with me. Don't make eye contact with anyone and I mean anyone not even Spence and definitely not the children. Just walk with me and don't leave my side. Oh and Hotchner, don't even think about pulling that gun you have strapped to your ankle. These people will be over you quicker than flies to a corpse and I for one want to get out of here alive."

"Just tell me this Flanders are these people the reason we are here investigating cannibalism?"

Floyd ran his bloody fingers through his hair and pulled a 'I'm not sure I want to tell you that' face. He gave a small shrug and went after the man he had been talking to.

…………………………

A short stout woman came over to Spencer who was standing shaking drooling something from his mouth and swaying slightly. The collar had cut into the skin under his chin making little drips of blood run down his chest. His hands still restrained in front of him were covered in the fluids which had been seeping from the skinning his arms had received.

"You awake?" She asked him. His eyes flicked over in her direction in response but his vision was fuzzy and cloudy. "I have to put this on your arms. It'll stop infection. Not that it will make a lot of difference with you. Doesn't look like you'll be here long enough to catch no infection." She grabbed his hands and twisted his arms to see the raw flesh of his inner arms. Spencer glanced down and again his stomach started to cramp. "Tell you what boy. I'm not gonna bother. You'll be gone by the morning." She turned and walked away. 

He wanted to call her back and tell her he would still be here but breathing was becoming difficult now, he didn't think he would be able to even whisper. He licked at his dry cracked lips with a tongue which was dying for moisture of its own. The only dampness there was, was the ooze coming from his own arms. He looked down again and slowly raised his hands to get a better look at it. His mind was so focused on the mess his arms were in that he didn't see the person with the peeler return.

"How's it feeling?"

Spencer dropped his hands back down and slowly lifted his head to look at the man who took his skin. He was standing with a fold up wooden chair in one hand and a tool box in the other. A million thoughts ran through Spencer's mind now. What he could have in that box and what those contents could do to him, but he wasn't going to react to it. Let them do what they want, he was not going give them the satisfaction of looking as terrified as he felt.

The chair was flipped out and the man sat on it. He put the tool box on the floor in front of him and flipped open the lid. "Spencer. I think it only fair I show you this – you know it's nice to know why we are doing this to you. You see what we do is this." He pulled a length of bone out of the box. It looked like a rib bone. "Obviously this is just to show you an example. I take the bone and then I wrap it quite tightly with wadding." He sat and wrapped a long strip of synthetic wadding around the bone. "It gives it the appearance of flesh when it is completed. Though again this is just an example so when we remove your skin you will understand why we have to do it so carefully." He reached into the box again and pulled out a small container. Reid was trying to watch and take in what he was being shown at the same time trying to breathe and not choke himself on the collar and trying to forget the terrible pain. Listening to what he was saying to him was almost a step too far. The man pulled something out of the container and held it up for Spencer to see.

"You know what this is?" He put his hand up for Reid to see but he was unable to focus on what it was in the man's hand. He did a very slight shake of his head.

"It's what I took from your arms. I need to check this is going to work you see, so we do a test. I thought you would be interested in seeing what I was going to do with you."

Spencer just looked in the direction of the voice not wanting to see what he was doing.

"You take hold of the end of the strip – Spencer please watch – I am doing this for your benefit you know." He waited until he thought Reid's eyes were watching him. "You take hold of the end and you hold it still. You see the trick is to keep the strip still and twist the bone. That way you get less tears and creases." He looked up at Reid whose eyes again had taken on that far away look. "Spencer! Watch damn you."

He tried to watch. He tried to do what his mad man wanted him to do but every time he saw what was in the man's hands he could feel the bit of sanity he was clinging onto slipping away.

"I will keep twisting the bone until the strip is used. Then I choose another bit. This is from your other arm you see, so really the colours and textures will be a good match. Skin from the back is best but I will talk to you about that another time. Right – the next strip, I can pin it into place like so and then I do a double layer to cover the pin and then I continue turning until it is all used. Voila! What do you think? You like that idea? Well now I need to put it somewhere to dry off. Then once it is dried I will oil it. The whole process for this will take only a week or so, depending on the quality of the skin and the skills of the craftsman.

Spencer vaguely saw someone kneel down next to the man on the chair – and something was telling him he knew this person. He closed his eyes and tried to focus his mind again. When he opened them he was looking directly into Floyd's eyes.

"Hey babes." A smile.

Spencer just looked into his eyes. He could see the blood on his lower face telling him he had suffered another very bad nose bleed. He wanted to shout out with joy at seeing his rescuer and moved his hands up to touch him – to make sure he was real.

Hotch watched with horror at the state Reid was in and now watched shocked as someone pulled Floyd back away from Reid. Normally this would have caused Floyd to fly into a rage and start eating people, but something was off kilter here. The whole relationship Floyd had with these people seemed wrong. Unnatural. 

The man with the wrapped bone stood and moved to Floyd whispering in his ear. He then stood back and smiled and pulled the peeler out of his pocket. "Up to you Floyd, but you know I love the way you work. It would be such an honor.

Hotch watched Floyd look down that the peeler in his hand and then over at Spencer. He wasn't sure what it was or what was going on, but he knew this was wrong. 

"Floyd, what's going on here. Get Spencer and let's go." If Hotch was going to say more they wouldn't know. The crack under his chin with the chair shut him up and sent him flying back onto the cave floor. 

"Cage that one, and take blood. See if he is clean." A couple of young men with long hair ran over and dragged Aaron by his feet and threw him in a cage. Padlocking the door. Whilst they took a blood sample from Hotch, Floyd was walking behind Reid.

He ran fingers over his back and shoulders and down behind his waist band and across his buttocks. He then crouched and felt down the back of Spencer's legs.

"Get me a collection bag then, I want to get his over with." He moved around Reid again whispering softly. "Sorry babes. Real sorry about everything."

He took the pot and stood with a finger on Reid's shoulder blade. The peeler cut through the layers of skin and fell in a slimy buddle of what looked to be wet ribbon. He worked quickly and he did his best to not go down too far. He could do this and not scar. This was his craft. This is what he did. What they trained him to do and this skill was the only reason they tolerated him.

Spencer bucked and writhed and tried to get away from the tearing sensation on his back. All the time he could hear Floyd muttering. "Sorry Spence. Sorry babes but if you weren't such filth this would never have happened. It's your own fault babes."

"You need to take him down from there you know. He will be dead and the peeling wont work. I don't want to have to just skin this one. Take him down and I will work with him again tomorrow." Someone walked forwards and unbuckled the collar. Floyd watched the bloodied back of the man he loved and grinned happily on the outside and screamed on the inside. "Treat him. He's no good dead."

He then turned to the man he had met in the tunnel. "Take me to her."

The man turned and walked off down a small passage way. Floyd followed not looking back. He couldn't show how he was feeling. He couldn't show even a twitch of remorse of guilt over what he had just done to Reid. The man in front of him suddenly stopped. "You know the rules Flanders."

"I know your rules. I am good with rules." He nodded to himself and wiped his bloodied hands on his jeans and cleaned some of the blood off his face with this forearm.

"Wait here then." 

Floyd stood in the tunnel which was lit by burning brands and for once actually looked nervous. He pushed his hair back off this face and attempted to look less ghoulish with the bloodied clothing and wet blood encrusted hair. A big sigh and he saw shadows walking towards him.

"What the fuck is he doing here?" The voice of a young child.

"I just came to see if you were OK." Floyd crouched to be more on an eye level with her.

"I have nothing I want to say to you. Piss off."

"Rosa – please let me see you properly. Come closer."

"Why? So you can eat me like you did mum?"

"It wasn't like that sweetheart."

The girl who looked to be about ten walked forwards. "It was like that. You broke her neck and you ate her."

"That's a very shortened version of the story."

"It's what you did. I don't want you to be my dad – I don't want to grow up knowing you. I don't want to end up like you. So fuck off daddy."

She turned and walked away.

Floyd stood up and rubbed his hands together. "Well that went rather splendidly didn't it?"

* * *


	10. Chapter 10 Family

Family

_Betrayal is the only truth that sticks: - __Arthur Miller _

Disclaimer: Criminal Minds is not mine.

* * *

Flanders stood and watched the retreating back of the child and thought how it was already too late for her. Genetics can't be cheated. She was going to be a problem and would need a strong hand to keep her in line.

"I want to speak with Iolanda." Floyd didn't sound happy about what had just transpired.

"You know it will make no difference. Iolanda has made his decision and he won't be moved from it."

Floyd turned and started to walk back to the cave. He needed to check that they had treated Spencer and he needed to make sure Aaron was going to be alright.

-o-o-o-

The only thing Spencer could feel was pain. Emotionally and physically. His body was burning up with a fierce temperature but the pain in his throat didn't seem to be getting any worse. Either that or what Floyd had just done to him was over riding all else. It felt like his back was on fire. His arms – now untied and covered in creams and dressings had gone numb the agony around his pelvic area was increasing slowly. It felt like he was going to rip apart and spill him internal organs onto the dirt. The only good thing now was he was laying down. Now he could pass out and it wouldn't kill him.

"Babes." Floyd's voice next to him. Spencer sensed rather than saw him sit down on the floor next to him. A gentle hand brushed over his forehead. "You're not looking too good. I want to take this away from you Spence. I would trade places with you. You know I would don't you? You know that this isn't what I expected to happen. I didn't know you were sick." He shuffled closer and ran his fingers over Reid's jaw and the bruised from the collar. "Now here's the thing; I am clean, so who did you catch it off? You amaze me. Every time you do something like this I am surprised that you would dare go behind my back. When did it happen Spence, you can tell me. Was it a common whore you picked up off the streets, or some ratty junky rent boy from the park? You can tell me. I won't be cross."

Spencer just lay where he was looking at Flanders. Being unfaithful to this monster was just not on the agenda, so whatever he was talking about - and he had a nasty idea that he did – he could only have caught it off him.

He went through the symptoms in his head and came up with any number of nasty STD's Floyd could have given him. He turned to lay on his side and pulled his legs up tightly. He might be diseased. He might be scum and filth and a pervert, but he would never fall as low as Floyd – and he wouldn't be a kebab either – at least not this week.

"You don't want to talk to me. I can understand that, but I would like you to show some sort of gratitude for what I have done for you here. I have undoubtedly saved your pathetic life Spence. But then you know I couldn't bare the thought of losing you. It just isn't something I am willing to contemplate. Lay on your front and let me see the damage they have done to your back.

Spencer couldn't quite believe what Floyd was saying to him. He ran his sticky sickly tongue over his dried cracked lips and blinked at Floyd.

"Don't worry babes – you are probably in shock. I am going to leave you to think about what I have said and I will be back. I need to check up on Aaron. They gave him a nasty crack under the jaw there."

"Aaron?" That hurt, and the voice which came out didn't much sound like Reid but it was enough to draw Floyd's attention back to him.

"Yes babes, Aaron is here too, but he just couldn't keep his mouth shut and nearly got us both into trouble there. I am sure he will be OK – just you worry about getting yourself better. This was for the best you know. It had to happen." Rough calloused hands pulled Reid back onto his front. "Stay like that. You will heal quicker."

Reid felt Floyds finger running down the backs of his legs. Normally – in the right setting – that would be wonderful. Right now it didn't feel quite as good.

"Don't mind me Spence. Just checking for imperfections. They will shave you later. Not your head. They will leave that. Spence – I'm doing my best here. This is my family – they have the upper hand. They know me better than I know myself. I will be back."

"Floyd." Again the strange voice coming from Spencer.

"Babes?"

"Don't touch me."

-o-o-o-

Hotch was laying on his side watching what was going on. He didn't see what Floyd had done to Reid but he could see him now over on the other side of the cave talking to him and now he watched him get up and walk over towards where he was caged.

Floyd crouched down and looked at Aaron. "You doing alright? How's the chin?"

His chin hurt, but he wasn't about to tell Floyd. "You know these people." It wasn't a question.

"Well yes."

"You set Spencer up for this? You knew you were bringing me here. Why? What sick pleasure are you getting out of this?"

"I came to talk to you, to see if we can sort this out, but your attitude isn't one which is very conducive for deal making."

"What on earth are you talking about Floyd?"

"I stalled you for as long as I could. I didn't want you here, but you followed me and wouldn't go away. I tried to restrain you on the beach, but I didn't want to hurt you Aaron."

"You seduced me on the beach – you weren't trying to restrain me. Do you actually recall anything the way it really happened? Your mind is so far gone Floyd that your little imaginary world is falling apart. Get me out of here and let me take Spencer home."

"You are as ungrateful as he is." Indicating Spencer. "You are both still alive aren't you? You're not badly hurt – yet – stop moaning. I will get you something to eat. A vegetable." A smirk "and some water." Floyd stood up to leave.

"Wait. Floyd I need to ask you something."

He crouched back down. "Yes?" A tight smile.

"You haven't told me the reason. Why did you do this? There had to be a reason this has suddenly happened. Why Spencer?"

Floyd sighed and sat with his legs crossed. "Very well – I'll tell you what you need to know." He wiped a new trickle of blood off from under his nose. "I wanted to visit someone. You don't need to know more than that. Carrot and water?"

"Why Spencer?"

"Because that was the rule. They are big on their rules. I had to give over something precious. I had every intention of coming in and removing him from the situation before things got bad, but I had no idea he was sick. Therefore they can't use him for what I expected. I didn't know they were going to do that Aaron. I really wasn't expecting it. I would change places with him if I could, but it seems they need me. A nice feeling. Being needed."

"Floyd – I remember a while back – quite a long time ago now, when you first let us get to know you – Gideon tried to profile you. I think he only got one part of it correct. You are a compulsive liar. You are sick Floyd. When you feel like telling me the truth, come back with my water."

"Sure." Flanders looked around him and put his hand inside the cage Aaron was laying it. It wasn't high enough for him to even sit in. "I'm sorry – well not actually sorry – I don't think I am – but well I feel something, I just don't know what it is." He grabbed Hotch's hand. "I'll unlock the cage. Everything else is up to you. But I would leave it until they are tired of looking at you." He squeezed Aaron's hand and ran his fingers over the lock. "You are unlocked. Just push to open. But wait until the time is right." Hotch nodded. 

"And Spencer?"

"I will sort the rest out. You just do you."

He pulled his hand away and walked again over in the direction of Spencer.

Aaron wished he could begin to understand this man. One minute lying and abusive, the next almost remorseful and caring. How Spencer had coped with this treatment for so long he wasn't sure. Then again he hadn't coped with it. He watched Floyd sit down next to Reid and thought how that person laying on the ground was just a very poor copy of that excited young man he had met when he first joined the BAU.

-o-o-o-

The plan had been set in motion. All he had to do now was to wait for Aaron to make his move. He was almost sorry, this wasn't how he had expected it to end. He looked down at Spencer who was laying on his side again with his torn back facing the wall. Floyd lay down on the floor behind him and brushed his fingertips lightly over Spencer's face.

"I don't want them to do this to you Spence. I don't want them to torture you and slowly kill you by removing that lovely soft skin. I don't want you to end up as one of their toys."

"Floyd." 

"Hush – don't talk. Just know that if I was ever capable of loving someone then it would be you." He gently kissed the back of Spencer's neck and the finger tips brushing Spencer's face moved down to his mouth – brushing them gently. "It's for the best." Floyd quickly looked around to see if anyone was watching and when the time was right he clamped his hand firmly over Reid's nose and mouth. He felt him jerking and struggling against his hand, but he was now so weakened by dehydration that his fingers clawing at Floyd's hand had no effect.

Flanders could feel some strange knotting feeling in his stomach as he felt Spencer struggle, now holding tightly onto Floyd's wrist.

-o-o-o-

Spencer wasn't sure what was going on anymore. Floyd's words were confusing and he kept seeming to go back on what he had just said. Forgetting his lies and deceits almost as quickly as he said them. He felt the comfort of him laying behind him and the feel of his mouth on the back of this neck and now the hand stopping him from breathing. For a while he struggled. It was natural to struggle, but small point. He wanted to say sorry. For whatever it was he had done to make Floyd so cross he would do this to him. He wanted to ask for forgiveness, but the hand wouldn't move and so he just held on tightly to what he could and hope that the last thing he feels when this is finally over was Floyd's mouth on the back of his neck.

-o-o-o-

He stopped struggling. Floyd needed him to try to do something rather than just lay there and accept this. He bit on Reid's shoulder and when he got no response he took his free hand and with his sharp nails ran them down Spencer's back.

He started to struggle again. This was good. People had seen him and they were coming. 

Floyd looked over at Aaron as he drew the attention away from over near Hotch. As the crowd approached as one he quickly release Reid and ran fingers over his neck to check for a pulse and a hand on his chest to make sure he was still breathing.

The plan was so far working well. Floyd stood and faced the crowd.

A small dark haired man stepped forward. "I wondered when you would start your games. They wont work on us." He looked behind him at a big muscular man. "Take Spencer and get him cleaned up. Make sure he stays alive. He is no good to us dead." Now he turned back to Flanders. "Floyd. Why do you insist on causing trouble wherever you go?"

He stood and looked at the man who was talking to him. "Iolanda. I wondered when you would show your face. Hiding behind the skirts of the women again?"

"Protecting them for the likes of you."

Floyd took a small bow and smiled at him. "And what are you going to do about that?"

A frown crossed Iolanda's face. "About what?"

Floyd looked over to where Hotch was walking quickly in the shadows out of the cave. "Him. Don't you think you should go get him back again before he goes and tells everyone what you are?"

Reid had been scooped up and taken away. The rest of the crowd turned and raced towards where tomorrow's dinner was running.

Floyd stood and watched for a small while. He needed to be sure that all attention was away from him as he stood back into the shadows and made his way towards where he had seen Rosa.

He was sure that above the shouts of the clansmen he could hear Hotch call out. Once again that feeling he couldn't quite put his finger on as he ran towards what he had gone to all this trouble for.

-o-o-o-

She was sleeping. The women she was with laying on blankets snuggled in the corners. It took seconds to deal with them quietly. They wouldn't have even known what had happened. He looked down at the sleeping face of his child and a swimming feeling passed through his head. Much like the same feeling when he had just had an unconscious Spencer. He knelt on the floor and looked at her long dark hair and pale skin. When her eyes shot open they were as dark as the pits of hell.

"What are you doing here? You are not allowed here."

"Come with me." He went to grab her hand.

"Go to hell!" Rosa pushed back away from the man she had been taught to dread – the bogeyman - the monster who will come and eat you as you sleep if you aren't good - the monster who hurts children.

"With me – now." Floyd was getting cross now.

"Or what? You gonna hit me? Go on I dare you – go on hit me!"

So he did.

He picked up the limp form and walked with her thrown over his shoulder. He didn't go back the way he came. He carried on into the labyrinth and disappeared into the darkness.

-o-o-o-

They grabbed hold of Hotch and dragged him into the middle of the cave to where a pit had been dug. He stood defiantly. Floyd had betrayed him. First Spencer and then him and he had no idea why.

"On your knees pig." He felt the angry phlegm hit the back of his neck. His leg was throbbing and bleeding again, but he wasn't going to just roll over and give in. He felt a kick to the back of his knee and in his weakened state he went down to his knees. "Obviously we cant trust you to stay in the cage so welcome to your new home."

A kick to the back of Aaron's head sent him forwards and down. It wasn't a terribly wide area and so as he fell he scraped off the walls and landed with a crash at the bottom. It was about twenty foot and as his head hit the floor and rebounded and hit again and his skull cracked the blood dripped – he lay and wondered how long it would take Rossi, Morgan and Prentiss to come looking for him. He could taste blood in his mouth from where he had bashed his mouth and cut his inner lip with his teeth and now the pit was being covered over with a grill of some kind and the little bit of light which had been filtering down into the hole in the ground was cut back to a dull greyness.

Aaron sat with his back against and wall and pulled his legs in tightly to him. Something he had seen Spencer do often and now he understood how he must've been feeling at those time. Completely defeated. Hotch knew he needed to sleep. He knew that he had to keep his strength up and he knew they didn't want him dead or they would have killed him a long time ago. All he could do now was to sit and wait and hope that Floyd was not what he seemed to be.

* * *

**A/N: I just realised that my spacings havent been working recently so really sorry about that! Hopefully it will make more sense now! Thank you!! Pb**

* * *


	11. Chapter 11 Stones

Stones

Stones

_Life is mostly froth and bubble, Two things stand like __stone__, Kindness in another's trouble, Courage in your own__Adam Lindsay Gordon _

Disclaimer: Criminal Minds is not mine.

* * *

The guy laid Spencer down on a pallet in a side 'room'. He was laid on his front with his arms out in front of him. His wrists tied together and then to a ring on the wall.

"You need to sleep now. I will be back. The less you move around the quicker you will get better." He could see the scrape marks down the prisoners back where Floyd had dug in his nails and scratched. "You don't know how lucky you are that you are filth." A parting shot which Reid was beginning to agree with. He didn't know what was going on with Aaron. He had no idea where Floyd had gotten to or why had hand done what he had. Spencer just hoped that somewhere in that deranged mind there was a reason for it. A real reason. Not just – 'because I felt like it'.

He didn't want to sleep, but he was exhausted. They had tried to stop him losing anymore fluids by slathering him in some stinking paste, and the bleeding had finally stopped on his arms, but he had no idea of the state of his back and they were still refusing to give him anything to drink.

Spencer slowly and carefully manoeuvred himself so he was laying on his side with his back to the wall and his face to the entrance. It pulled and scraped his arms but now he had been moved the pain around his pelvis had increased and now a headache. A terrible pounding headache in rhythm with his heart thumping too fast in his chest.

He tried to stay awake, but at some point his eyes closed themselves and he fell into a fitful sleep full of pain and nightmares.

-o-o-o-

Floyd ran.

He knew these back tunnels. He had been planning this for months. This escape from the clan, he just didn't know when he had first realised that the family was here that this was how he was going to be doing it. He needed Rosa. He needed Spencer too but first this had to be sorted. He would come back for Spence and Aaron – if he wasn't too late. He would come back and he had that all planned out too. He just hoped Aaron would understand why he had just done that. Then again if he didn't understand then it was entirely his loss. The man could be stubborn sometimes.

Spencer was ill. He needed to get back to him and get him better somehow. He still wasn't sure what he had picked up. But he definitely knew where from. The taunting about the whores and rent boys was just a bit of fun. Spence would understand that.

He ran fast. He ran with a speed that he knew they wouldn't be able to catch up and he ran in the shadows leaching the energy out of them and pulling them into him self – like a vampire feeding off the life of others, Floyd fed off the negative energy surrounding him. It made his head light and his vision clearer. It made his nose and ears bleed, but he kept going.

"Put me down you bastard."

The voice pulled Floyd to a stop. She was awake.

"I can't. I need to take you with me." He held her tighter.

"You are a beast. I know all the stories. They told me what you are." She started kicking.

"Then you know why you can't stay here. I need to train you – to give you a new set of rules."

He started to run again.

"I'm not a dog. I don't need training."

"You are beast as much as I am my sweet and I will train you. And you will become powerful and irrepressible. You will be the most wonderful beautiful thing on the planet Rosa. Surely you must want that. Not hiding in caves feeding off your dead relatives."

"It's what I am 'daddy' – so take me back. I will scream." She resumed her kicking.

"No – 'darling' it's not what you are. You are like me. You are a beast and if you start to scream I will stop you."

At the first tiny squeak of a shout Floyd carried out his promise and stopped her noise and her kicking.

-o-o-o-

Aaron couldn't tell what was going on, but something had really made the people up top angry. He stood up and looked up at the grill trying to hear what was being said. He heard the word 'Floyd' he heard 'the child' being shouted.

"My god Floyd what have you done now?" He ran his hands over the surface of the pit he was in. They walls were lumpy and rough hewn and he wondered if his leg didn't have a hole going through it if he could manage to climb out. There were definite foot and hand holds and he still had his shoes on – which would be an advantage. Escape whilst this noise and panic was going on up top didn't feel to Aaron like the best time to try to escape. He sat back down again and looked at the walls. Whatever Flanders had done now was not to the liking of these strange people. He couldn't think straight with the headache he now had. He put his hand to the back of his head and felt the sticky blood clotting on his dark hair. It had stopped bleeding though. So far his wounds had been fairly minor, except for his leg. Even the piercing he had received to his side seemed to be healing with no infection. Whatever Flanders had done it had worked. Now he had to wait. 

Hotch closed his eyes and rested his head on his knees and listened to the shouts of panic.

-o-o-o-

Spencer was awoken by rough hands shaking him. His eyes shot open expecting to see Floyd but it was another dark haired man standing there and he didn't look very pleased.

"Where is he?" He seethed.

Reid gave a small slow head shake.

"He planned this with you. Where is he? Where has he taken her?"

Again a small shake of the head. If he had known what they were talking about he still wouldn't have said anything. He felt the ropes tying him to the wall being cut and a hand grabbing him by his pony tail. "Get up. Get up off there and come with me. You will tell me where he has gone."

Spencer let out a strange squeak of pain and let the man drag him to the floor. They had stopped being careful if they damaged his skin. Something had happened. Something had gone wrong for them and it was something Floyd had done.

As Reid lay on the ground moaning in pain another man entered. "Iolanda – do you want the other one out of the pit?"

He felt the man called Iolanda grab his hair again and start dragging him over the floor. "Yes – get him out and take him to the west wall. I want them facing us. I want them to see. I will get my answers."

-o-o-o-

When the rope ladder was thrown down to Hotch he just sat and looked at it. If they wanted him to do something they were going to have to ask. He wasn't their trained puppy and never would be. He glanced up to the rim of the pit and saw a set of eyes looking down. Aaron turned his head and looked away. 

"Get up here now. You are needed."

Aaron stood on weary painful legs and stood at the bottom of the ladder. There was every chance that they would just kill him once he was up there again, but then if that is what they wanted they could just leave him here to rot. He started the long and painful climb to the top of the pit. Not a huge bottomless pit but it seemed like it was as his legs started to shake with the sudden need to use his muscles properly. He dragged him self over the rim and was pulled to his feet.

"Don't even think about running off. We have Spencer and we will continue to hurt him if you don't do exactly what you are told to do."

Hotch just looked at them. He didn't want them hurting something so precious but he also didn't want them to see how twisted he was feeling inside. He gave a quick nod but kept his mouth shut. He wasn't sure that his words would be formed without a shake in his voice.

They directed him to a wall. On the wall were two rings at shoulder height and it was to these that the attached his wrists. In front of him, about fifteen feet away was a metal pole embedded into the rock floor. He watched someone dragging something over towards him. It wasn't until he was nearly at the pole that he realised it was Reid. He was being dragged on his front by his hair. His hands were dragging on the ground and he didn't seem to be struggling or making any movements of his own. The light was too dim to tell exactly what had been done to him and as he was pulled to his feet and pushed against the pole he saw the flicker of his eyes and Reid looked directly into his eyes.

Aaron stood and Reid was held in place by leather straps. Someone stepped forwards and introduced himself.

"I am Iolanda. I am one of the elders and I am going to ask you some questions. You are going to listen and you will think about how you are going to answer. Hotchner – if I think you are not being truthful I will punish Floyd's lover. Spencer – if I think _you _are hiding something from me I will punish your comforter. Is that clear?"

Hotch nodded slowly. Reid didn't respond.

"Spencer – I will start with you." Reid looked at Iolanda. "Where is he?"

"Who?" A small croaky voice.

Iolanda put his hand out and something was placed in it. He turned to Hotch and smiled. "That was the wrong answer." The rock hurled by the man hit Aaron on the shoulder. It hurt but not enough to make him cry out.

He walked over to Aaron.

"Where is he?"

"I don't know." He wanted to give him the right answer.

Iolanda shook is head. "Another wrong answer." He put his hand out again and Hotch saw a large rock being placed in it.

"It's the only answer I have. I don't know where he is." Hotch watched as the rock was thrown at Reid. It hit him squarely on his hip.

The pain shot through him. It felt like the bone had shattered under the horrendous force of the projectile. He tried to tip his head back but the pole behind him was in the way, so he just opened his mouth and let out an awful wailing sound. His throat still too closed and sore for it to sound human.

Iolanda waited for the noise to stop and become shuddering sobs and then Spencer got asked a question.

"Tell me Spencer – if you don't know where he is, take a guess for me. Where do you think he would take her?"

Reid had no idea what he was talking about but he had to think of an answer. One which wouldn't get Aaron this treatment.

"Home." He managed to say. It seemed like a good enough answer.

Iolanda smiled and looked over at Hotch. "You are saved." Now back at Spencer. "Where is his home – and I don't mean that building on the cliffs. Where is his real home Spencer. Where would he go? Where does he go and hide when he runs away from life. Where would he take you?"

Spencer knew he couldn't tell this man the truth. He also knew he couldn't lie to him. He looked up at Aaron who gave Spencer a small nod.

"I don't know." He whispered – hoping he was doing the right thing. Hoping that was what Aaron wanted him to do.

The projectile hit Aaron square between his eyes. It hit so hard that he did even get the chance to make a sound of pain. He fell forwards with his hands still attached to the wall. His head down and his hair wet with blood and sweat. Reid let out a small sound of shock as he watched the blood drip to the floor from the wound Hotch had just sustained because he – Spencer – had lied.

Iolanda now walked over to Aaron and pulled his head by his hair. Spencer could see the blood pouring from the gash across the bridge of his nose. "See what you have done Spencer. This is your fault. You are a liar. You can't lie to me Spencer. I will know if you do." He pulled the unconscious face in his direction. "So Aaron tell me. Where is Rosa?" 

Spencer watched knowing that Aaron wouldn't be able to answer the question and his stomach twisted in panic. 

"Spencer. I am sorry. I know you have taken a lot recently, but it seems it is just going to keep on until I get my answers." He put his hand out and was given a fist sized rock. Reid let his head fall forwards – he didn't want to get hit in the face. He closed his eyes readying himself for the pain. The rock hit his knee. He heard a strange noise crawling out of his throat and he felt he cartilage in his knee crack.

Iolanda walked over to Spencer. 

"Where would he have taken her?"

He had to believe in the lie. He had done it before and he could do it again. He closed his eyes and put false memories behind his lids. He created a conversation and envisaged a place. 

"The forest. A small building in the forest. I don't know where it is but he talked about it. Said it was the only place he could call home." His voice croaked the answer. 

Iolanda looked at him and nodded. "You are stubborn. I can tell you have been around Floyd for too long. The lies just flow off your tongue like blood."

He held Spencer's head up and called for a rock. "Tell me where he is."

"The forest. A small building in the forest. I don't know……………" The fist with the rock in it hit Reid on the temple. His words shut off as his head began to spin.

"Let's try again. Where would he have taken her? Where is his home?"

Spencer could see out of the corner of his eye a small crowd of about six people. A mixture of men and women.

"The forest………." He started again and with a nod the six people started stoning the unconscious Hotch. Spencer could see his body jerking as they pounded him with rock after rock. He saw more blood dripping onto the floor as Aaron just hung there.

Iolanda put up a hand and it stopped. He pulled Spencer's face around to look at him.

"Where is he?"

Spencer wasn't going to give into them now. "The forest." He stopped; waiting for them to resume stoning Aaron.

"Everybody clear off – pack everything up, we are leaving as soon as I have finished up here. I need to talk to this young man alone. Get me something to sit on."

A chair was brought over and Iolanda sat down leaning forwards with his elbows resting on his knees.

"Let me tell you a story Spencer. Once I have finished I think you might change you mind about letting Floyd hide behind you. Let me tell you why we threw him out. Why we exiled him. Why he is reviled even amongst us.

-o-o-o-

* * *


	12. Chapter 12 Stories

Stories

Stories

_There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you: - __Maya Angelou _

Disclaimer: Criminal Minds is not mine.

* * *

It was just getting light when he broke through the undergrowth into a small clearing within a heavily wooded area. He was dragging the child by her feet. She was swearing and muttering as he dropped her to the ground and pulled out from under some leaves a backpack. They sat and stared at each other. Her mouth set tight in a pointed slightly spiteful looking face.

"Ya can't be keeping me."

Floyd threw her a bottle of water.

"I can. Drink something. We have a long way to go."

"Listen to me 'daddy' – I'm not going with you. As soon as you're not looking I will be gone."

Floyd unscrewed the lid of his water bottle and took a long drink. "Fine – I will not take my eyes off you then."

"When you sleep, I will be gone." She unscrewed the lid of her bottle.

"I don't sleep." Another drink and he pulled a smoke and a slim silver lighter out of the bag. "You smoke?"

"You must sleep. Everyone sleeps. Even I sleep." She put her hand out for the smoke.

He lit it for her and handed it across. "That's bad for you."

"Go to hell."

"Sweets – you need to learn not to talk to me like that. I have done this for your own good you know. You will thank me for it eventually." He lit up a smoke of his own.

"I'll talk to you like I damned well please. You are nothing. You are lower than dirt. You are disgusting. They told me what you did. Is that why you took me? Because you like little girls? Well you're not doing that to me. I would kill myself before I let you touch me."

"Well darling – if you have heard the stories correctly you will know that wouldn't bother me. Now drink – we need to go."

-o-o-o-

"I don't want to hear your story."

"You will hear it though and I will punctuate the good bits with some live action role playing." He stood up from the chair and walked over to Hotch. He pulled up his head so that Spencer could see. His face was bruised and blood encrusted but his eyes were open. "Stand up Hotchner. Lean against the wall for support. I really want you both to experience this to the full."

He pushed Aaron back against the wall, but he was shaking too much to be able to stand. Again his wrists were taking the strain.

"I need you to stand."

Hotch gave him a 'go to hell' look and stayed as he was.

"You two just don't understand do you? You will stand. It wasn't a request. I am telling you."

Aaron just looked up at him again.

Iolanda bent down and picked up one of the rocks which had been thrown at Aaron. He looked at Hotch and then at Spencer and then walked over to stand next to Reid. He showed the rock to Spencer, who gave is a cursory glance. "Spencer – tell your companion to stand up or I will smash his skull in with this rock."

This time Spencer gave it a better look. "Hotch – Aaron – please stand."

"Spencer he is just playing with us. I am sorry Iolanda but I will not give into your demands." His voice sounded slurred and almost drunk.

Iolanda walked back over to Aaron with the rock in his hand. "Where is he Spencer? Where has that murdering perverted sonofabitch taken Rosa?"

He was pacing back and forth now trying to decide what to do.

"Hotchner. Tell your boy to tell me where he is or I will surely lose my temper!"

"It's not my place to tell him what to do."

He spun and threw the rock.

Aaron felt it hit his head just above his ear. His head cracked to the side and blood splattered the ground between him and Reid. A greyness surrounded him as he heard Reid call out his name and the cavern began to spin slowly. As he looked up and black stars started shooting over his vision he saw Iolanda pick up the chair as he slid into unconsciousness.

Reid heard the rock hit and saw the blood and he called out for Hotch trying to distract Iolanda Spencer shouted out. "North of Boston. That's all I know. In the forest north of Boston."

As the words left his mouth he knew that was probably the biggest mistake he had ever made in his life. He watched Hotch swinging helplessly by his wrists and watched Iolanda walk over to him with the chair.

"Now why didn't you just tell me that in the first place?" Smiled at Reid. "The thing is now that you have got to know us so well I can't really leave you to be telling your buddies up top. So what do you think I should do about it? I don't think that a promise not to tell would work do you? Not after what you have just done and betrayed Floyd. That was very silly. But I think you know that now."

"Floyd can look after himself."

"Do you have any idea what he will do to that child?"

"Go to hell."

The chair caught Reid across the lower torso and caused a scream to tear its way between his dried cracked lips. The next hit was across the chest, forcing the air from his lungs and breaking the chair. He wanted to pull his legs up but he was strapped to the pole. The next hit was full across the face cutting deep into the skin on his forehead and down over his eye and along his cheek. He let out a cry of pain but wasn't going to beg him to stop because he knew it didn't stop them. Not once they were like this.

The next hit was again across his chest with such force he heard something crack. He was making odd keening sounds. Unhuman animal noises. Then he hit the side of his head, making his head swing to the side and the blood spray out over Iolanda. Spencer was quiet now. He had stopped making sounds and he hung limp from the straps. Blood bubbled from between his lips and dripped out of his nose meeting up with the trail of fluid coming from his forehead and around his eye but it didn't stop the attack. Iolanda continued the assault until all he had left in his hand to hit Spencer with was the cross bar from the back of the chair. Reid hung from the straps a mashed bloodied mess.

Iolanda walked back over to Hotch. "Are you awake?" He pulled Aaron's head up and saw the wet open eyes. "Did you enjoy the floor show? All this to protect Floyd. He really did a number on you two didn't he? You know what? We are all set up ready to go now. I am going to leave you here. Just as you are. You can watch Spencer slowly succumb to his injuries and be comforted in the thought that it was your doing. You could have stopped him. You could have. He would have listened to you. So you killed him Hotchner. I will let you hang there and watch."

Hotch wanted Iolanda to at least have something inside him which would let him release Hotch so he could give Reid small comfort, but he wasn't going to beg. He wasn't going to ask. It wasn't how Aaron worked. He refused to let this man see how much this was hurting him emotionally.

-o-o-o-

The two of them walked down the side of a road together. He held her hand and she allowed him to. Her initial fear or dread of this man had died down a bit. He gave her smokes and he gave her food and water. Maybe he wasn't the demon they all told her he was. Maybe it was lies.

"So where're we going?"

He looked down at the child. "Away – just away from here. I need to make a phone call first."

"You got cell reception?" Her dark eyes looked up at him.

"Nu hu – no cell phone."

"Oh. Who are you going to phone? I thought that Spencer person was your beau – so who d'ya wanna call?"

"Oh - Derek."

"Why?"

"He needs to know where to find Spencer and Aaron."

"Why? They'll be dead by now."

"I know Rosa, but they are friends."

"Friends? Don't you mean people you have battered and screwed into submission?"

"Don't talk like that."

"But it's true – I'm just waiting for my turn."

"Don't worry. You will get your turn." He pulled her in close to him. "Listen. There is a diner up ahead. We will go in and you will keep your mouth shut. Is that understood. I will get you food and a drink and I will make my phone call. One word out of place and I will take you into the back woods and do unto you what they say I did to the other kids. Is that clear."

"Whatever 'daddy'."

-o-o-o-

It was morning and Hotch hadn't returned to the hotel and wasn't answering his cell. Morgan and Prentiss drove out to the cottage to see if they could locate him.

They noted his car parked at the side and they noted the silence. There didn't even seem to be any birds singing. Just a blanket of nothing. Emily shivered and pulled her gun. Derek did the same and the two of them walked around to the front of the building. Derek noted that the door was still hanging off the hinges. He stood beside the door and called out.

"Hotch? Reid? Flanders? Anyone here?" The silence continued. He pushed the door open as much as he could and stepped into the lounge. He did a quick note of the place. Food spilt on the floor – a blanket or throw dropped on the floor. The fire hadn't been made up.

Morgan looked at Emily. "Go check upstairs. I'll do down here."

They both called out. "Clear." And neither of them found anything wrong. Except for the food on the floor. It was drying and seeping into the rug. There was a cloth on the floor next to it as though someone was going to start cleaning. Coats and hats were still on hooks behind the door. There was no sign that Hotch had been here other than the fact his car was still outside. As was Floyd's bike.

"Where the hell are they?" Emily muttered as she stood at the door looking out to sea and watched the thick fog rolling in. "I don't like this place Derek. Something has happened."

Derek said nothing but pushed by Emily and walked out to the cliff edge. "Maybe they went for a walk. The bed Emily – was the bed made up?"

A small frown. "Yes, but it could have been made up this morning."

"OK – I want to check out the beach."

Em nodded and followed Morgan who had paused to pull out his cell phone. Poor signal, but there was one, just. He speed dialled a number.

"Rossi, yes we are at the beach house. No sign of life here so I'm gonna check out the beach with Emily" A pause. " Yes sir I will let you know. Poor signal though, so I don't know when." Listening. "Yes I will do that." He closed the phone and walked towards the path Reid had walked down alone the afternoon before.

-o-o-o-

He could see Reid was twitching – well his fingers were. Apart from that the only sound or movement was the slow drip drip drip of blood. "Spencer – can you hear me. I need to know you can hear me."

Nothing – just the occasional twitch of the fingers. The place had fallen into a sudden deathly silence. These people knew how to move out fast. The whole process beginning to end could have only taken an hour.

"Reid – this is an order – let me know you are there still." A different tactic, but still not one that worked. He didn't know if the twitching was his body cooling down and dying, or if it was because he was trying to stay alive. He was still bleeding. That had to be good didn't it? His heart must be pumping blood around still. Or it might be gravity.

Aaron started twisting his hands – he pulled himself up to an uncomfortable crouch and began pulling on the ropes, he had to get to Spencer. He had to get him off that pole he was strapped to, even if it was to give his body some dignity. He pulled and twisted and cried out as the skin on his wrists tore and sent lines of blood down his arms.

"Spencer, I can't get to you." He could feel his voice beginning to hitch. He couldn't get distressed like this – not now – he had to stay with it and keep his mind together if he was going to save Reid.

He pulled and twisted and cried hot silent tears and something had changed. It made Aaron stop and look up. In his mind he was going to see Spencer looking at him smiling but as Reid came into his line of sight nothing seemed to have changed. He still hung there his head down. Still. Too still. "Spencer?"

Nothing

"Spencer!"

It was the blood. The dripping sound had stopped.

"Spencer wake up, you need to wake up!"

-o-o-o-

"Blueberry pie and a scoop of ice cream with it for the girl. I need to use the phone."

"Sure take a seat I'll bring it over. You want a drink with that?"

Floyd rubbed at his nose, suddenly aware of the blood soaked state he was in.

"Yes – yes, two coffees with that."

He guided Rosa over to a table at the diner window. "Just because I am over there doesn't mean I'm not watching you. Sit still and behave, and watch your language."

"Shit daddy, what do you think I'm gonna do? Abandon a free helping of blueberry pie?"

"Language Rosa."

He moved away and stood in front of the telephone which was attached to the wall. He didn't have any money so wasn't actually sure how he was going to do this. He leaned on the wall with the receiver to his ear and glanced around. A few truckers and some young kids in fancy clothes. He checked back pockets for wallets and made his move to the men's room, lifting the wallet as smoothly and butter on the tongue. The actual wallet he threw out of the men's room window, the cash he slipped into his pocket, when he turned around Rosa was standing looking at him.

"I saw what you did."

"Go eat your pie."

"You want to play?"

"Rosa get out and eat your pie." He grabbed her by the back of her dress and directed her back to her chair. "Just sit and eat ok sweetheart. I still need to make a call."

-o-o-o-

He knew now if he didn't get out of these bonds Reid was dead. He managed to get himself to his knees and then one foot and the other. He leaned back on the wall – his stomach heaving with the effort. He turned to look at the way he had been tied. He only option was to bite his way through the rope or pull the knots undone with his teeth, but it would mean taking his eyes off Spencer and he needed to watch for any last bit of hope. Hotch was in agony as he took his eyes away from Spencer and pulled at the rope with his teeth. He could taste the oldness of the rope and the freshness of his blood as the rough rope rubbed against his lips making them bleed.

Hotch had no idea how long it took – it might have been minutes or hours. However long it was he was sure it was too late. He would stop occasionally and hold his breath and listen. Nothing. Completely silent. No noise from Reid. Sounds of life.

At last one hand was free. His skin was bleeding and raw but now he could get the other off with his free hand. Much quicker this time and he permitted himself to fall to the ground. For a couple of seconds he lay on the ground and looked up at Reid. Then on his hand and knees crawled over to him. Now he was closer he could see the horrendous bruises he hand over his chest and abdomen. Hotch's stomach twisted in grief of what had happened and swore that he would see Floyd would never be able to rest again. He might not be able to kill him, but he could sure as hell blow his brains out once a week.

He put a gentle hand on Reid's foot. It was blood soaked from the wounds on his upper body. He moved his hand carefully up Reid's leg and into his inner thigh searching hopefully for a pulse. He tried still to keep that cool exterior whilst inside he was screaming and crying and howling in rage and pain.

-o-o-o-

* * *


	13. Chapter 13 Happy Families

**Happy Families**

_No road is long with good company: - Turkish Proverb_

**Disclaimer: Criminal Minds is not mine.**

* * *

Just as Derek was about to put the phone back it buzzed again. He looked at the caller ID – unknown.

"Morgan." He said, feeling a bit irritated. He just wanted to get down on the beach now and see if he could find anyone. "I can't hear you speak up please." Emily watched the frown on Derek's face. "One second there. I am going to put you on speaker." He took the phone away from his ear and held it out so Emily could hear also. "Start again." Morgan instructed.

"_You need to be quick. I will give you directions."_

Emily now got the frown on her face as she heard Flanders unmistakable accent.

"Where are you?"

"_It doesn't matter where I am. Spencer and Hotchner are still there. You need to get them away."_

"Where are they Flanders, you are making no sense."

"_Down the path to the beach. Go right, and follow go to the outcropping. From there follow the blood trail."_

"Blood trail? Whose blood Flanders? What the hell did you do?"

"_This is the attitude I always expect to get from you Agent Derek Morgan. I was helping. He got taken and I was helping."_

"Whose blood Flanders? What the hell is going on? If you have hurt them you sonofabitch I will scalp you."

"_Just move will you. It might be too late, but when you get to the cave, go right again, stay close to the walls to avoid the traps. Then keep left. You will find them. Just be quick."_

"Are you there?"

"_Yes Agent Derek Morgan, there is very good cell reception in this underground cave complex. You stupid or something? If I was there I would be rescuing them and getting the brownie points. I can't hear you running – you better be down on that beach and running."_

"Join us Floyd – I would hate to be the one getting all the glory here." Morgan was making his way down the path towards the beach.

"_I have other business to attend to first. Give Spence a kiss for me will you? I'll call again in a few hours. You will need medics in there and maybe SWAT I dunno…they might have moved out knowing I am gone. Look I am going. I need to keep moving. Take care Derek."_

The line went dead.

"We are going to believe what he just told us?" Emily was now standing on the beach at the bottom of the rough pathway.

"Do we have a choice? Let's just check it out see if there is a blood trail for a start." He then flipped his phone open and made a call. "Garcia.." His tone sounded serious, not a time to flirt and joke around. "I just took a call from an unknown number, can you trace it? I have a feeling it wasn't a cell." He nodded and closed his cell again and the two of them started a jog down the beach towards an large outcropping in the distance.

-o-o-o-

A tap on his shoulder made Floyd swing around and drop the phone. The woman from behind the counter was standing there. "What?" He snapped.

"That girl you're with."

"My daughter."

"You need to keep a better eye on her. She's smoking."

"You have a problem with that?" He walked back towards his table leaving the phone dangling on the wire.

"She's a child. She shouldn't be smoking. What sort of a parent are you?"

"She's older than she looks. Now get my coffee and mind your own business."

"I could report you. That's abuse that is."

"Go ahead. Just get our drinks first." He looked over at Rosa who was eating the pie with her fingers – and smiled at her. "You enjoying that?"

"Who did you phone?"

"Don't answer my question with another question – that's bad manners – are you enjoying that?"

"It tastes like crap."

"Then it's a taste you should be used to – hurry up and finish, we need to go." He looked over to the counter. "Can I have the coffee's to go please?" Then looking back at Rosa. "See, good manners."

He grabbed her sticky hand and pulled her from her bench chair. He slapped money on the counter and picked up the coffees. Without a thank you, they left the diner and walked back down towards the road.

"So we are going to walk all the way?"

"Unless we hitch."

"Ya covered in blood daddy. It don't bother me too much but it might bother the truckers."

He looked down at the stiffening dark mess over the front of his shirt and smiled. "I forgot." He unfastened his waistcoat and dropped it to the side of the road and then undid the small white buttons doing up the deep cuffs on the shirt. "You know how much this damned shirt cost me? Now look at it."

"Oh daddy, blood stains are such a bitch to get out too."

As he started to undo the buttons on the front of his shirt he started to talk to Rosa. "I didn't kill her on purpose."

"You broke her neck."

"I did – but it was an accident."

"You beat her with a tree branch across the back of her neck until you broke the bones. You nearly took her head off you hit her so hard."

"Just stories made up to scare you sweets. Not true."

He pulled the shirt off and wiped his face over with a clean bit. Rosa took the shirt from him. "I'll clean you up. You tell me the truth." He watched her take a bottle of water from the back pack and poured some over a white bit of shirt. "Get down so I can see what I am doing then numbnuts."

Floyd frowned at her. If this had been anyone else they would have died for that. He crouched down and took her by the wrist. "I need respect Rosa. You will stop talking to me like that."

"Well sorr-eeee daddy." And she started to wipe away some of the muck on his face. "Go on then, tell me."

"It was an accident. We crashed. She broke her neck."

"And then you ate her?"

"Well not sitting at the side of the road, no."

Small hands were scrubbing at his face. "When? Tell me when."

"A few days. It was a few days later. I kept her with me. I looked after her – brushed her hair and stuff. I didn't want to believe that the woman I loved with all my heart and soul was dead. My heart ached. I cried and vomited. My limbs shook and all my thoughts were to die and be with her."

"Oh shut up. You are going to make me sick – stop pissing about and tell me what happened."

Floyd smiled. "OK..she was dead, I was hungry. I took her to the woods and spit roasted her."

"And was it an accident?"

"No – but you have to understand that there was a reason."

Rosa stopped washing the blood from Floyd.

"So you killed her and ate her – exactly as I was told?"

"You make it sound so dirty." He reached out and ran a finger down her nose.

"Touch me like that again and I will bite your face off."

He snapped his hand back. "You had dirt on your nose."

"And you had dirt on your mind."

-o-o-o-

He couldn't feel a pulse. He couldn't see movement from his chest.

Hotch pulled himself up onto his knees. "I'm going to get you down from there Reid. I'm sorry if it hurts." No reaction. He reached up and undid the first strap. He would work his way down and support Spencer as the support was removed. He tried to work as fast as he could but he was weak from the attack and the stoning and his fingers felt numb. He looked up at the bloodied and still face and wondered why the hell his loyalty to Flanders was so great he could stand there and see his friend being virtually stoned to death. What sort of friendship was this?

Aaron was beginning to feel angry and frustrated, if Spencer had just told Iolanda in the first place then this may have been avoided. Did it matter where Floyd had gone, and if he had taken a child with him, surely Iolanda had a right – of sorts to want to know where Floyd had taken him? Was Reid just turning into a shallow copy of himself with the lies and deceits of Flanders devouring him slowly until there was nothing of Reid left? He could feel the dampness and the weight of Spencer across his shoulder now. He had made no sound and the dreadful silence was making Hotch want to scream.

When the final straps had been unbuckled Hotch carefully laid Reid on his back on the cave floor. He needed to do something. He needed to help him, but his head was so muddled with thoughts and fog and his vision so messed up that he couldn't think what he should be doing. He placed a shaking hand on Spencer's chest. He saw the cut across Reid's face. He saw how the eye was clotted with blood and was closed and the other eye was just staring out at nothing.

"Please breathe for me." He felt along Spencer's jaw line and down his neck desperately seeking out a pulse. There was nothing. He could find nothing and now he didn't know what to do. He sat back on his haunches and just looked at the battered mess in front of him. "I need to get you help Spencer." Hotch wanted to scream. All this – everything was Floyd's doing again and at the point when Spencer could have called off the proverbial dogs he didn't. He touched Reid again with trembling hands and looked around him. He had to get Reid out of here but he would have to drag him somehow.

Hotch carefully rolled Spencer over onto his side and then stood up. "I will go and get something to help you." He walked around the cave's edge holding onto the wall for support. He still couldn't see properly and now he wasn't even sure where he had left Spencer. His headache was making his eyes water and he couldn't think. As the grey started to creep around the edges of his vision and he knew he was going to pass out he lowered himself slowly to the floor. "I'm sorry Spencer. I can't do this." He took deep breaths trying desperately to get the oxygen into his brain.

-o-o-o-

Spencer knew somehow that he was laying down on the floor. Somewhere a long way off he could hear a voice, but he didn't recognise it but the thought it could have been Aaron. His brain had turned off his pain receptors which was nice. That made him happy. That made him want to smile but he couldn't. All he could do was lay there. Spencer wasn't really even sure if he was still alive. Maybe that is why it had stopped hurting and why he couldn't reach out for Aaron. He tried to listen to a heart beat but his ears were full of someone screaming and howling in agony. He tried to work out if he was breathing or not, but that was not something he could sense either, so yes he decided he was either dead, or on that little edge where he was mostly dead and irretrievably damaged.

It was OK. It was a relief in a way, he thought it would hurt a lot more than this. This was almost disappointing. It was just a complete nothing.

-o-o-o-

The man was driving along the road with his wife. They chatted about this and that and nothing important. They had been at a business conference together at a hotel in the middle of nowhere and would be pleased to get home again to their cats and pot plants and their boring lives. As they rounded the corner they saw something laying in the road. The man slammed his foot on the brake and his wife let out a small yelp of surprise. What ever it was – it was moving. Rolling around.

"Stay here Lauren, I'll go see what it is."

"Harold, don't you dare leave me here alone, that's some kind of animal."

Harold did as he was told and stayed put. He banged his hand down on the car horn though to scare the thing away – whatever it was.

-o-o-o-

Floyd slapped her hard. He slapped her with a closed fist in her mouth. She responded with a roundhouse kick to the side of his head. He shook his head and stood up grabbing the child by the hair and pulling her around so she was facing him.

"Go on! Do it! Just do it – you filthy pervert!"

"What!? What the hell do you think I am going to do?! What have they told you?"

"You know what!" And she was kicking him in the shins.

He wasn't sure how they managed to be in the middle of the road rolling over each other shouting obscenities and biting and scratching. Floyd had finger nails scratches down the side of his face. She had a tooth missing and it was probably still embedded in Floyd's forehead. They punched and kicked and screamed. It wasn't until the car horn blared that they realised they had company.

Rosa froze.

"It's OK." Floyd put a hand on her arm gently. "I think we can stop now." He saw a small nod.

They stood as one. Both blood smeared and bruised. Floyd could see the expressions on the faces of the driver and passenger. "They will get out of the car. There is a child involved, they won't just go." He saw Rosa nod again and sure enough the driver's door opened. "Look down, don't look at him in the face. Anywhere but the face." Rosa looked at the tarmac.

Harold's voice tore through the tranquil scene of father and daughter going for walk. "What the flaming bejeezus is going on here?"

"I really don't think it is your business." Floyd also was avoiding eye contact.

"You were hitting that child!"

"Yes sir I was. I don't think I can deny that."

"I have never in my life seen such a thing! Little girl do you know this man?"

"No sir I do not. He pulled me from my bicycle as I was riding to my friend's house."

Floyd felt a glow of pride burning on the inside. He watched the woman get out of the car and reach a tender hand out for Rosa. Floyd put a hand down and stroked it over the top of his daughter's head. "Let me see what they taught you. One each."

She was good. Floyd had to admit that. He would need to train her a bit harder though. The woman managed to scream. Only once but that would be enough if they were in a town. They pulled the torn up remains into the undergrowth and looked at the car.

"Well we won't be walking all the way then." Rosa smiled a big gappy bloody smile at her daddy.

"Rosa. I would like you to go wait in the car. I need to go do something."

She looked over at him and raised an eyebrow. "Whatever daddy." She got into the car and turned on the radio as Floyd went back to where they had dumped the bodies.

-o-o-o-

They both had a twisting sensation when they found Reid's shoes.

The blood was splattered over the rocks not far from it. Floyd had been telling the truth thus far, but they didn't know how much was truth and how much was Floyd's sick mind.

They called in the air ambulances and requested back up, but they weren't going to sit on the beach and collect shells while they waited. They carried on following what seemed to be smears of blood from someone being dragged.

Emily's heart was pounding expecting over each boulder for there to be a corpse, but all they found was more blood and a cave entrance. They both pulled out torches and cautiously entered.

"He said take right and keep left."

Emily nodded. "He said to keep to the edge too because of traps." Now Morgan nodded. "What is that disgusting smell?"

"I'm not sure. Decomp, but something else mixed in with it." And so with hands on the wall to guide them they walked carefully down the passageway Floyd and Hotch had gone down the day before.

-o-o-o-

Hotch closed his eyes to try to get his brain to work properly and concentrate on what he needed to do, but he was getting increasingly confused. When he opened his eyes again he had forgotten Spencer and his thoughts were focused entirely on needing water.

Back somewhere behind him laying in the dirt forgotten Reid's fingers started to twitch and the eye he had open blinked.

* * *


	14. Chapter 14 The Monsters in the Shadows

The Monsters in the Shadows.

_There are very few monsters who warrant the fear we have of them: - __Andre Gide_

Disclaimer: Criminal Minds is not mine.

* * *

He drove like a mad man. He turned corners on two wheels virtually. He crashed the vehicle through the undergrowth in his panic to get to where he needed to be. To where his soul was laying in the dirt abandoned and dying.

"Where are we going? Boston is the other way."

"I'm not going to Boston. Put your strap on."

She slumped deep down into the seat. "Then where are we going?"

"Back."

She turned and frowned at him. "Back where?"

"Where the hell do you think?"

"You are kidding me. After all that, you are taking me back again? What the hell is wrong with you? You got a screw loose daddy. You are mental."

"Just shut your mouth. I need to get Spencer."

"Why? You have me now. Anything you do with him you will do with me in the end. What's the attraction to him?"

"You wouldn't understand."

"You bonded with him didn't you?"

No reply.

"You idiot! That is the most stupid thing ever ever ever! Only really stupid people do that! I never even did that. I never will do that."

No reply.

She sat and scowled at him. "I just lost a bloody load of respect for you. Not that I had any in the first place, but now we are way down in the minuses. You are going to have to do something super amazing to redeem yourself after this cock up."

-o-o-o-

The figure came stumbling out of the darkness towards them. Prentiss waved her flashlight in his direction and Morgan raised his pistol. It was a blood splattered Hotch.

"My god!" Emily gasped.

Morgan's gun was down and he was running forward towards his boss. "Hotch – what the hell happened? Was this Flanders?"

Aaron grabbed hold of the person in front of him. He couldn't make sense of the words, his brain refused to cooperate and let him talk. All he knew was that his person was going to get him out. He desperately needed light and water. He licked his dry lips and held on tightly to his way out of this hell.

"Hotch, was Reid with you?" Emily's voice was calm, but Derek could hear the alarm in the pitch.

Again Aaron could hear talking but was unable to work out what was being said. A small shake of the head to try to clear his thoughts, to get rid of this pounding in his brain.

Morgan carefully got Hotch to sit and then with gentle hands checked him over for injuries. "He's had a bit of a beating Prentiss. Some nasty head wounds. His leg and side have been bleeding. He got Em to shine the flashlight on Hotch's face and carefully touched around the gaping gash on the bridge of his nose and up across his forehead. "Can you get him out of here? I need to go and see where the hell Reid is."

Emily swallowed. "If this is the condition Hotch is in….."

"I know. Just get him out; the air ambulance will be on its way."

Hotch could feel hands moving over his body and across his face. Gentle hands, but not ones with water in them. He could hear the voices echoing around inside his head. A head he felt he needed to shake again to get rid of whatever it was stopping him from thinking. This wasn't him. He was meant to be strong and not break. This was not a position he was comfortable with. Helpless and having to rely on someone else. It created a knot of anger inside his chest and made his breaths quick and shallow.

Again hands on him. On his back now – gently stroking. "It's OK sir. Breathe, we have you now. There is nothing to worry about." Emily's gentle words wasted on ears which could only hear screams and the pounding of his blood racing too fast through his system. He could feel arms under him slowly pulling him back onto his feet. He was unsure if his legs could support him but his arm was pulled over a shoulder and an arm wrapped around his waist. He could feel the steady breathing and the regular heartbeat of someone holding him. Was it Reid? He couldn't remember where Reid was now. But he could remember the anger he felt for him. This was his fault. Reid nearly killed him. He may as have thrown the rocks himself. Spencer protected Floyd and watched him being stoned to death. Aaron wanted to cry. He wanted to understand what had happened but now his muddled mind had created false images of Spencer holding the rocks and hurling them at him. To protect Flanders.

Emily walked slowly with Hotch. She could tell that every step was painful. She could hear muttering under his breath but the words were so faint and distorted that she couldn't understand what he was saying. She kept up her barrage of soothing words, but this was not a task Emily found easy. She like Hotch didn't like to wear her heart on her sleeve. She needed to keep under control and not show how seeing the man she so admired being so beaten and defeated that she wanted to shake him and tell him to pull out of it and be that person she needed. Tears of frustration threatened to make her dark eyes watery so with her free hand she carefully wiped away all signs that she was weak.

-o-o-o-

Morgan carried on down the dark passage being sure when he got to any junctions that he kept left but it was a mainly straight route and an obviously well used one. He walked carefully and with as much silence as he could, keeping the light from the flashlight he had pointing downwards with his gun. He could tell something was changing. The acoustics were different and it was only a few paces later that he came out into a huge cavern.

It was deathly silent. No sounds of dripping water of scurrying creatures just complete silence. He lifted the flash light and swept the beam over the room. There was another passage leading off it on the far side, but what caught his eye more was the scattering of bones and mouldering corpses over the floor. He stepped forwards and took a closer look, expecting to see gnawed bones but they were undamaged. Some of the bones had bits stuck to them still and a few skulls still had lengths of hair hanging from them. The thought that Hotch had been kept here for any length of time, and been abused the way he had made Derek's skin crawl. The CSU were going to have a field day in here. He could see in his minds eye the thousands of little plastic yellow numbers marking all this carnage.

He did another sweep of the cavern and then started to walk across the middle towards the other tunnel. Things cracked occasionally under his feet and he noted that it looked like heavy objects had been moved across the floor. Big scrape marks lead in the direction he was going. This new passage was wide with alcoves dug out of the sides. Some of them had rags in the corners. He could see where candles and torches had burned. In one room was a fire pit, in another he found the recent corpses of some women laid out with their hands across their chests. He walked over and looked carefully at them. They had broken necks and were in full rigor, so this didn't happen too long ago. A good few hours but in the main scheme of things that wasn't too long.

Morgan searched all the side alcoves but it was the final one which made his stomach turn. There were skulls arranged on shelves and broken glass containers on the floor. Laying just inside the door was a blood soaked bundle of rags. Morgan prodded at it with his foot half expecting there to be something wrapped inside it, but there wasn't. Something else made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up though. He recognised that shirt. He bent down and pulled the blood encrusted fabric apart to make sure he was seeing what he thought he was. It looked like it had been used to mop a pool of blood up there was so much on it. He dropped it back to the floor.

"Reid, where the hell are you?" He said quietly to himself.

He carried on walking down the passage making sure to mark the walls occasionally to find his way back. Once again small rooms to the sides. Bits left behind. Bones. Fire pits and the sometimes a pot or broken bit of something lay in the corners of the rooms. Sometimes it was almost as though the shadows were alive.

-o-o-o-

Spencer could feel a hand gently touching his face and then fingers pressing hard against his neck. A soft sigh and whispered quick voices. He could feel him self being tightly wrapped in something, his arms pinned to his sides and again the whispered voices talking so fast that it sounded inhuman. He felt something brush against his mouth and then something hot and yet at the same time cool on his cheek. He was lifted slowly and carefully and something was telling him he was being carried. It was too dark to see and too loud to be heard. Still screamings in his head and howls of rage and pain and betrayal, yet he could still hear the occasional voice whispered and light and comforting.

Floyd heard Morgan walking back again. He could tell he was trying to be quiet and was doing a good job of it, but not so good he couldn't be heard. He put out and hand and touched Rosa on the shoulder. "shhshh" almost like the sound of the wind but enough to make the child pull back into the shadows and stand tight with the man she had always hated and now was just confused about.

He could feel the very shallow unsteady breathing of Spencer and just hoped that Morgan wouldn't hear anything, but if he hadn't seen them with his light he wouldn't hear them either. The man was blind to the horrors in lurking in the dark. Not like Spencer. No Spencer was only too aware of the monsters. They watched the light scan the cavern again and pulled them selves back to darkest recesses and now they watched him move away again across where he had come from.

Silently the two dark forms moved back towards the dark tunnel Morgan had just left.

"What are you going to do with him? Is he dead? What will happen to you if he dies?"

"He's not dead, he's not going to die and nothing will happen to me if he does, except I – I – I suppose I will miss him."

"So what are you going to do with him? He looks hurt."

"I'll make him better."

"Can I have him if he dies?"

"He won't."

"But if he does."

"Pointless question sweetheart. He won't die."

"But you know – pretend – if he did. Could I have him?"

"No. But it's a moot point as it's not going to happen."

"How are you so sure?"

"I will make him well again. I need to get him to water."

"He's not a fish – or a dolphin."

"Rosa love – shut up and keep running will you. We need to get out of here."

-o-o-o-

Morgan stepped out into the day light and saw the emergency teams milling about. Prentiss came running over with a puzzled look on her face. "Where's Reid?"

"He's not there. Not that I could see. It's a big place Emily. We need a proper search team in there. I don't know that he is still there though. The whole area seems abandoned."

"He's there! Hotch told me. He was muttering about him being in a cave."

Morgan looked back behind him. "Em …" he wanted to say more but the memories of the creeping shadows and seeing things out of the corner of his eyes made him turn and run back the way he had just come from. "Flanders you bastard. If that was you…."

Emily was close on his heel. "Derek what's going on? What happened?"

"I had a feeling I was being watched. I assumed it was just because the place is so dark and eerie. I wonder now if Flanders was there."

"Wouldn't you have seen him?" he words coming out in jumps as she ran behind him.

Morgan picked up the pace. "You have seen how he can blend into nothing. Damnit Emily – he was there watching me. I know it was him."

They burst out into the cavern and Morgan stood and listened. Again he shone the flashlight around.

Knowing that the direct route across the area was clear, he looked at Emily an indicated going right. They stayed together. He warned her of the bones and bits of body and deep down he wondered if any other these bits had once belonged to Reid.

He kicked something and it rolled away. In the torchlight they both saw a head tumble into the shadows. They both saw the auburn wavy hair and they both saw Reid's face. Emily felt her knees go weak

"Oh my god Derek." She put a hand on the wall to support herself and listened to Morgan bringing up his breakfast. "Please tell me that wasn't what it looked like."

Tentatively Morgan brought the flashlight up again. It shone off the back of the head he had kicked. A collective sigh of relief (?) as the hair now looked blonde and straight. Derek looked back at Prentiss and made 'stay there' gestures with his hand. They didn't both have to see this. One person having nightmares was enough. Morgan walked closer to the head and moved around it. "It's a female." He breathed the words out. "Shit I thought that was Reid. How did I think that was him?"

"It's this place Derek. It's playing with us. Come on. Keep going." Her words sounded more confident than she felt. Seeing all this was putting her in great dread of what they might find. They could see where things had been standing – deep indentations and grooves in the cave floor. In places there were rings fixed to the walls and occasionally a pile of bones under them.

Derek kicked something again. It made a rattling noise. Like he had kicked a stone. He pointed the flashlight down again. The floor was scattered with different sized rocks, but not many of them smaller than a child's fist. They lit up the wall they were standing by and saw rings again handing from the wall. These had ropes still hanging from them. About fifteen foot away was a metal pole embedded into the rock floor. Straps were attached to it – long leather straps.

Morgan looked back down at the floor and how many of the stones were on the floor below the pole and the wall with the rings. He moved closer looking at the floor. "Prentiss – there is blood here. A lot of blood." He thought back to the shirt he had found and his stomach twisted. "Em – does this look to you like someone was stoned?"

She looked at the floor and the wall and the pole and the blood. "It looks like two people were." She bit on her bottom lip. "So if this was were Hotch and Reid were and we have Hotch, where the hell is Reid?"

Derek ran his hands over the back of his head and looked at the wall and the pole again. "Em, did Hotch have marks on his wrists."

She nodded slowly and then looked up at the rings. "So Hotch was at the wall and Reid was somehow strapped to this pole and then they were stoned? Why? They just left Hotch behind – it makes no sense and where is Reid?" The pitch of her voice was rising again. She took some deep breaths to try to calm herself down again.

Morgan crouched down and looked carefully at the floor. There was a lot of blood. Blood spray and a couple of puddles. "This is too much blood Emily. If this was Reid he didn't get up and walk away." He got up and walked away for a few feet and crouched down again. "Look. I don't know what the hell is going on. Prentiss what does this look like to you?"

Emily walked over and crouched down to look at what Morgan had seen. "A bloody footprint. A small footprint. That's not Hotch or Reid. That is a child's footprint." A puzzled expression drifted over her brow. "And this one.." She pointed to another smear of blood. "Another one, only this is adult, but too small to be Reid or Hotch. This is from a smaller person." She looked into Derek's eyes. "Are you thinking what I am? But a child? Where does that fit in?"

-o-o-o-

"Can you drive?"

"I am ten. What do you think?"

"Good, I will sit in the back. You drive."

"That was meant to be a 'no'. I can't drive. When the hell would I have learnt to drive?"

Floyd looked at her annoyed. He had to get Reid to water and he needed to do it quickly. "A river. Is there a river near here?" Floyd started turning on the spot taking in the air. Rosa stood and watched and when her darling daddy started to run she ran with him towards a small stream in the forest.

When he reached the stream he kept going - running through the water. It was more like a shallow but wide river. The water was ice cold and clear. Rosa sat on the river bank and watched what her dad was doing.

He sat cross legged with Reid still wrapped in the old sheet letting the cold water slowly soak through onto the broken skin. "His face. The bastards, what have they done to his face?" He fingers were shaking slightly as he ran them over the deep gash running down Spencer's face.

"Want me to go find herbs and stuff?" A small innocent voice from the river bank.

Floyd looked over at the scruffy thing sitting there and smiled. "Yes – that would be good." He watched her jump to her feet and run off between the trees. Then his attention was back on Reid. He trickled water over the wound and let the water start to wash the blood away. The eye was horribly swollen and closed. Floyd had no idea if there was damage to the eye or if it was just bruised. He didn't want to touch it yet. He had no trust in his shaking hands. He had lied to Rosa and though fear wasn't something Flanders was used to he wasn't feeling too good about this situation. Carefully he lowered him deeper into the water and started to remove the thing he had wrapped around him. He ran his hand over Spencer's chest and felt the lumps and breaks in his ribs. He saw the slices across his wrist and he saw how badly the disease had damaged him.

It wasn't sorrow. Floyd was incapable of being sorry. He didn't understand that feeling and there was no guilt – as he didn't realise it would attack Spencer's system so rapidly and with such force. Gently he washed the broken Spencer and watch as the chest raised and fell.

"Here." Again that small voice. She held out some leaves which she had made a quick poultice in. She pulled a face and took the leaves back again. "I'll do it." Rosa wiped the muck over Spencer's face and then stood back. "Now what?"

"Now I sit here until he is well."

She nodded. "OK – you might want to wipe your eyes before I see you been crying though. Not a good image for the serial killer who ate my mum."

* * *

_Have you ever been in love? Horrible isn't it? It makes you so vulnerable. It opens your chest and it opens up your heart and it means that someone can get inside you and mess you up. You build up all these defences, you build up a whole suit of armour, so that nothing can hurt you, then one stupid person, no different from any other stupid person, wanders into your stupid life...You give them a piece of you. They didn't ask for it. They did something dumb one day, like kiss you or smile at you, and then your life isn't your own anymore. Love takes hostages. It gets inside you. It eats you out and leaves you crying in the darkness: - __Neil Gaiman _

* * *


	15. Chapter 15 Making a Point

Making a Point

_To love is to risk not being loved in return. To hope is to risk pain. To try is to risk failure, but risk must be taken because the greatest hazard in life is to risk nothing_

Disclaimer: Criminal Minds is not mine.

* * *

It was late when Aaron opened his eyes and looked up at the white hospital ceiling. He had the headache from Hades but apart from that he didn't feel too bad.

"Hey."

Aaron turned his head to see Dave sitting at on the chair at his side. "Dave." His mouth was dry and sticky. "Water?"

Rossi nodded and picked up the plastic beaker with a straw. "Take a couple of sips."

It felt wonderful as the cold water slowly slid down his dry throat. "What happened? How did I get here?" He put a hand up to his face and could feel dressings over his nose and forehead. Moving his hand around he could feel where they had shaved his head and fixed his cracked skull. Another big dressing covered the mess underneath.

"What do you remember?"

He lay back down and tried to think. Reid was being asked questions and they were stoning him if Reid lied. He remembered that much. He remembered Spencer covering for Floyd while he watched the stones being thrown at him.

Aaron looked at Rossi. "Reid. Is Reid alright?"

"I don't know. You need to think about your self right now Aaron." He placed a hand on Hotch's. "I will go and tell the others you are awake. They have been worried."

"Please Dave. Find out about Reid for me."

"Aaron – we don't know where he is."

Aaron grabbed Rossi's hand. "Ask a nurse – find out please it's important."

Rossi stood and looked down at Hotch. "We couldn't find him. The whole complex was searched top to bottom – he wasn't there."

"I don't understand. He was there. I went to look for something to carry him with. That's the last thing I remember, but he was there Dave."

Rossi moved away from the bed. "I will tell the others you are here."

"Dave!"

"Not now Aaron. We will talk about this later. Right now there isn't much we can do."

"Go back and look for him. He was there."

"You know as well as anyone that we cannot go in messing up a crime scene. The CSU will come back with any information relevant to finding Reid, but he isn't a team member Aaron. My hands are somewhat tied over this matter."

-o-o-o-

He sat in the icy water holding Spencer close. Gently running hands over his chest and letting the cold water run over the pale skin.

"Here." A water bottle full of a steaming pink drink was held out to him.

He took it from her hand but didn't look away from Reid. "Leave me."

"He's gonna die. Then you will die – and I will have nothing cos you took me from Iolanda."

"I told you to leave me."

"Well I am gonna stand here and annoy you until you tell me if he is gonna die."

Floyd looked up at her. "Yes I think he is going to die. Are you happy now?"

"No – I am pissed off with you and your bloody selfishness. I thought you were gonna teach me stuff. I thought we wear gonna be a team. I wanted to go hunting with you again and I wanted to learn all the cool shit you know." She was kicking river water over Spencer. "But you went and bonded! You are so stupid. How can you know all that stuff you know and still manage to be so bloody stupid?"

"Stop kicking water."

"Why? What you gonna do to stop me? Put your precious treasure down and come spank me?" She kicked harder at the water.

Floyd ignored the annoyance and leaned over to protect Reid from the child. He heard a big splash next to him then saw small fingers moving over Spencer's face. "Do you regret it? Do you ever think it was a mistake?"

"Every day – but I wouldn't change it."

"So you love him, but you didn't love my mum."

"I don't love him."

-o-o-o-

They found the car sitting by a back entrance to the cave complex. They found out who the car belonged to, but they found no signs on the owners – yet. The car was covered in the black finger printing dust. Stray hairs were removed. They found blood on the back seat, but what they didn't understand was if this was the vehicle used to removed Reid – why was it still here.

Rossi was informed of the discovery and while he took what was left of the team and went to see for themselves the crime scene people came back with the blood test results. It matched Reid. The finger prints however were not on file.

They had all assumed it was Flanders who had taken Spencer, but they prints didn't match the ones on file. They were still testing the hair.

One of their men had been battered and stabbed with something and stoned. His skull had been cracked and his face ripped and the only person they knew who saw this was Reid. They had to find him and they had to find whoever it was who had taken him. If it wasn't Flanders then the next question to ask was where was Floyd and why wasn't he doing the normal; the one predictable thing he did and protect Spencer from the hands of others. A ranger was called in to see if they could track where the people who had been in the car had gone.

It was a long haul and the sun was going down when the ranger put out a hand and looked down at the tracks. "A lot of movement through here. Someone has been berry picking." He pointed out some dropped berries on the ground and then to some snapped stems and places where leaves had been pulled. "Definitely someone recently has been here picking plants. The track leads down towards the river."

Morgan Rossi and Prentiss nodded and carried on walking. They were sure this was the right way and that Flanders had been here collecting stuff for his herbal smokes.

-o-o-o-

"Leave. Go and hide. They are coming."

"I don't want to. What if they take you away? What will happen to me?"

"They won't take me away and if they do I will call for you. Go quickly."

She gave her dad and his treasure one last look and ran off into the woods away from where they had come from. Floyd sat and waited. One hand still resting on the slowly moving chest. His head bent down with his face almost touching Spencer's. He heard them enter the clearing and held tighter onto Spencer. He had no intention of letting them take him. He could hear gasps and mutterings and then a hand on his shoulder.

"Floyd." It was Prentiss. "Is it alright if I take a look at Spencer?" She sounded calm, but he could smell her fear – and he could smell her lust. He kept quiet and he kept still. "Please Floyd – I just want to see if he is alright."

He turned his face to look at her. "Leave me alone."

"I really need to take a look at him Floyd." The hand on his shoulder tightened slightly.

He sighed. "You can't have him Emily."

Another voice now. A voice he didn't like but was getting familiar with. "He's not a prize to be won Flanders. Let Agent Prentiss see him."

Slowly Floyd sat up and bit letting Emily see Reid's face. "Not as bad as it looks. That's herbal paste."

"My god Flanders, what have you done to him?!"

Morgan stepped forwards with Rossi to look at what Floyd had laying in his lap. Derek pulled his gun and pointed it squarely at Floyd's face. "Move away from him you sonofabitch."

"I didn't do this to him. Why do you always assume it was me?" Floyd ran a finger over Spencer's jaw.

"I assume it is you because it always is you – either directly or indirectly. Get your filthy hands of him." Morgan was shouting but the gun was in a steady hand pointing at Floyd's face.

And it was that which broke the weird spell Flanders had been under. He was up on his feet – Spencer forgotten as he made a grab for Morgan. Reid slid down into the water bubbles slipping out of his nose and mouth as Emily ran forwards to help Reid and as Morgan's gun fired.

Floyd felt it rip through his chest and took a step backwards. "That was cheating." He put his hand on his chest and moved forwards again.

"One more step and I let you have another one." The unwavering gun was still pointing at his chest. Out of the corner of his eye Floyd could see Emily pulling Reid from the water. He spun around and started to walk over to her.

"He needs to stay in the water. That's why I put him there. Leave him alone!"

Now Emily had her gun out pointing at him. "Stay back Flanders. He needs to be in hospital. He probably has hyperthermia now on top of whatever you have done to him." Prentiss snapped at him.

But he kept walking towards her. "I haven't done anything to him – why don't you whore sonsofbitches ever listen to me."

Another step and another gun was fired. He felt it scrape along the side of his head and he noticed how he wasn't looking at Emily and Spencer anymore, but at the trees, and then at the sky. Now another voice was screaming.

"You fucking bastards what did you do that for?" It sounded like it was what he would say but it was not coming from his mouth.

-o-o-o-

Morgan looked over to see a child running out of the bushes at the other side of the river.

"He didn't do anything! He was trying to help him.!"

Derek could see a small girl with a delicate pointed face and sharp dark eyes. She had on an old dark dress which came to just above her knees and long dark hair. Eyes were virtually glowing with fury. He watched her run to Floyd who was laying bleeding in the grass.

"I hope your Spencer person dies for this. You didn't have to shoot him. He was just trying to help!" Her small hands moving over the man laying on the river bank. Small fingers touching the mess on the side of his head. "Daddy?" A small worried voice.

Morgan and Prentiss lowered their weapons as Rossi stepped in and crouched down with the child. He turned to Morgan. "Get Reid out of here. Quickly. Prentiss go with him." He put a hand on Rosa's shoulder. "Can you tell me who you are?" He talked gently to the odd child.

"You just killed my dad. What the fuck is wrong with this world? First my mum and now my dad!" She threw her self over Floyd's chest tickling at his ribs with her fingers.

"Flanders is your father?"

She looked up at Rossi with huge tear filled eyes. "I was just getting to know him. We had so many plans and now you have taken it from me!" The tears poured down her grubby cheeks and Floyd felt his heart swell with pride at the little actress. "What will happen to me?" A big sniff "I won't go in a children's home. You took him, you have to look after me now."

"Well I don't think I will be able to look after you. I am sorry you haven't told me your name yet."

"Rosa Flanders – so you can kill someone. You can shoot my daddy in the head but you can't look after the mess you leave behind?"

"I didn't shoot your father."

"You were responsible for this." She stood and pointed down at Floyd. "He was healing that Spencer person. He was helping him and you let your woman shoot him in the head and then abandon his daughter! You had him killed in front of his ten year old child! I hope you are proud you bastard."

She got a glimpse of Floyd trying not to smile and so drew the attention away from him and back to herself. She pulled open the back pack and took out a smoke and a box of matches.

Rossi watched her carefully. She didn't act like a ten year old should. This one was well beyond her years. She manoeuvred so Rossi's back was to Floyd and took a long drag on the smoke and then did up the bag and threw it over her shoulder. "I hope he dies. I hope that Spencer person wakes up long enough to see his ugly face and ripped body and I hope that he realises what he has done. I hope his flesh rots off his bones with that disease he's got and that he feels every last agonising moment, cos my daddy was the only one who could heal him, and you got him shot!" More tears and now snot to go with it.

Floyd slowly got to his feet – drew his hand into a fist and walked up behind Rossi. "She's right. You will need me if you don't want Spencer to die of what he has." Rossi span on the spot and met the fist.

The ranger never ranged again.

-o-o-o-

Spencer felt the arms around him and the hand on his chest hold him tighter. He could feel hair tickling his face and he really tried hard to see the face. He knew it was Floyd. He could smell him. He could feel those chemicals he exuded reaching his painful lungs and then defusing out into his blood. His breathing slowed and his heart rate dropped as Floyd held him in the ice cold water and started the process of healing. He could hear the occasional word but it was too far away now to hear properly and he slipped further away as he felt his broken bones heave and crack. Creatures walking under his skin pulling at his muscles and bones.

Then he was falling and the comfort was gone and things felt wrong. Floyd was gone. The arms around him had been released and he fell. He fell a million miles in thick treacle darkness into an empty hole of cold. He slid through the hole and looked up at nothing through the water with eyes which refused to let him see.

A hand was on him again, but it wasn't the comforting hands he needed. He felt his back scrape on the earth as he was dragged from his new icy home. Different smells and different confusing voices filled his nose and head.

That constant scream.

That sound which he thought would be with him forever now.

The cry of a dying animal.

He was lifted and carried. He was jolted and swept away from where he needed to be. He needed the smell of Floyd back again as slowly his breathing became harder and his heart began to beat faster and the pain. Suddenly the terrible pain.

-o-o-o-

Morgan could feel Spencer move slightly in his arms. He had to stop and stand still as Spencer began to writhe and arch his back. His mouth opened slightly and a dreadful keening noise escaped from between his lips.

"Oh God Derek." Emily could feel her safe wall beginning to collapse as she watched the agonies Reid was going through. "Keep moving. We need to get him help."

From behind them somewhere they both heard the long drawn out howl of an animal and what sounded like a whooping reply.

* * *

_If man were immortal he could be perfectly sure of seeing the day when everything in which he had trusted should betray his trust, and, in short, of coming eventually to hopeless misery. He would break down, at last, as every good fortune, as every dynasty, as every civilization does. In place of this we have death: - Charles Sanders Peirce_

* * *


	16. Chapter 16 Bodily Fluids

Bodily Fluids

_William Blake__: I'm not dead. Am I?_

Disclaimer: Criminal Minds is not mine.

* * *

When Rossi opened his eyes again he was sitting against a tree looking out towards the river. It couldn't have been long, it still wasn't totally dark. Floyd was sitting in front of him with his legs crossed and Rosa was sitting on his lap picking things out of the wound on the side of his head.

"I had to do that. So you would listen to me." The girl stopped picking and sat next to Flanders with her legs crossed and one small hand on Floyd's knee.

Rossi took in the odd scene and nodded slowly. "I would have listened. I am still listening."

He put a hand over Rosa's. "Get us a smoke will you princess. Do you smoke Dave? Do you mind me calling you Dave?" Rossi watched the child - who looked horrifically like a small version of Flanders in a dress - get up and grab the back pack off the grass.

"I don't smoke." He watched the pair of them carefully. He wasn't restrained at all but still sat very still taking in every move and twitch of the faces of the pair.

"Very bad habit. One I am afraid I cannot break – but none of us are perfect are we Dave?"

Rossi shook his head. "What was it you needed me to listen to? – does she usually smoke?"

"Dave – this here is my daughter Rosa. She was abducted years ago by a vile clan of nomads who roam this country and Europe killing and taking what they want. It has taken me this long to track her down again. Many a night I have sat and cried at the loss. You see her mother unfortunately died too. All she had was me, and all I had was her."

Floyd looked into Rossi's eyes. "I needed to get her back. The fact that they took Spence too was coincidence. It wasn't planned, and I had no part to play in his abduction. These people just seem to take everything from me. As though I am some curse they can only be rid of by taking my treasures." He took a long deep drag on the smoke. "I found my Rosa, who had been told all manner of horrific stories about me." He put a hand on her head. "She is all I have Dave. Now you have killed Spencer."

"We haven't killed him Flanders. We have taken him to a hospital."

"I know. I need to be with him Dave."

"Why are you telling me this? I'm not stopping you going to the hospital."

"Oh but you will try. This is why I wanted to tell you what happened. I didn't harm Spence. I want to be able to walk into that hospital and be with him."

Rossi nodded. "And this is the only way you feel you can get to see him – by attacking me? Do you really think this is a good introduction to you new found self?"

"How else can I ever get anyone to listen to me? Do you have any idea what will happen if I turn up at that hospital. Your officious little puppies won't let me near him." He ran fingers over the side of his head. "I was shot."

Dave looked over at Rosa. "And she is your genetic offspring?"

Floyd looked at her and smiled. "Yes she is. Can't you tell? It's the eyes – the eyes and the teeth."

Rosa flashed a gappy grin then took a deep drag off her cheroot.

-o-o-o-

They let Aaron know that they had Spencer, but they didn't tell him how they didn't expect him to last the night. They didn't tell him how they had found him immersed in freezing water in the forest and they didn't tell him that Floyd had been shot again.

Reid was prodded and poked and inspected and looked over. He was breathing on his own and his heart rate was steady. They covered his raw back in huge dressings and lay him on his side. They wrapped bandages around his wrist and then they looked at his face.

They wanted to talk to his next of kin, and though they all stood up and insisted they were family, it was next of kin they needed to see. Morgan squeezed on his stress ball and Garcia sat with him talking soothing words.

Morgan tried to persuade them to talk to Hotch, but still they insisted on talking to the next of kin. When Rossi arrived with the two Flanders' the room fell into sudden silence. Morgan's hand squeezed the ball harder and Garcia looked over at the child and smiled. Prentiss stood and smiled at Rosa. "Come with me sweetheart I will get you some candy, if that's ok with your dad?"

Floyd looked at them both and frowned. "'Tis fine." He then looked at Morgan. "I'm not here for trouble."

Derek really so wanted to say something. It was there on his tongue trying to leap out and verbally attack this 'thing'. He looked from Floyd to Rossi and back again. "Are you his next of kin?" Was what Morgan finally managed to snap out.

"They are asking for Spencer's next of kin?"

Garcia stood and walked over to Floyd. "Come with me. I'll find the doctor and maybe see if we can find you a change of clothing." Floyd just nodded and left the room again.

"It will be alright you know."

He looked at the strange woman walking next to him. "What makes you so sure?"

"Because you are here now. I have faith in you Floyd. You scare the pants off me, but I think you will do what you need."

"I see. Why do I scare you Penelope?"

"Well partly for that reason. Penelope? No one calls me that and you fascinate me. Did you know that Derek calls out your name in his sleep?" Words out of her mouth before she could stop them.

"Oh. Well there you go again Penelope constantly saying the unsayable."

She lifted her hand and knocked on a door. A voice mumbled "Come in."

"You OK from here?"

"Er yes. Rosa. Tell her where I am."

Garcia walked away back to the room and Floyd pushed open the door to the doctor's office.

The doctor was grey haired and bespectacled.

"I am Dr Reid's next of kin."

The doctor looked up at him. "Are you indeed. I was lead to believe his next of kin was his partner."

"I am his partner. What did you need to talk to me about?"

"Take a seat." Floyd remained standing. "Please take a seat."

"I want to stand."

"I was told when he was found someone had immersed him in a river."

"Yes."

"It probably saved his life."

"It did save his life. Look I am really sorry but I do need to see him now."

"He is very ill. We are still trying to work out what it is he has. Some blood disease. Not something we have seen. Has he been over seas recently?"

"No – no he hasn't – I can help him if you let me see him."

"We don't know how infectious he is. We need to keep him quarantined."

Floyd pulled the chair out and sat. "Excuse me?"

"You can't see him until we know how if this is something he can infect someone else with."

"I see – Can I give you some information. It might help you in your decision."

"Of course."

"Unless you intend screwing my lover – and I really hope that isn't on your agenda.." Floyd snatched the desk diary out from in front of the doctor and started looking through the pages. "I can't see 'screw the patients' written down here anywhere, so I guess you wont be catching it." The book was thrown at the wall. "I will be seeing him now. Right now. No excuses. No arguments."

"I don't appreciate this show Mr whoever the hell you think you are, but you can't throw your weight around here and think you are going to get your own way. You will have to wait until the tests are finalized. I am sorry."

They could hear Floyd shouting way down the corridor in the waiting room. Morgan and Rossi ran to see what was going on while Prentiss and Garcia stayed with the girl who seemed to be gagging for a smoke.

Floyd burst from the room shouting curses about whores and female dogs and spun walking straight into Morgan, who in turn stepped back and raised his hands palms forwards. "What the hell is going on?"

Floyd looked at Rossi. "That little prick won't let me see him. He has no idea. You have no idea….nobody knows a sodding thing! What the hell is wrong with everyone? I need to see him NOW!"

-o-o-o-

The small dark haired child slipped away during the uproar in the corridor. She could hear her dad shouting and she could hear people shouting back at him. She could hear the threats. She had been listening to Garcia and Emily talking about Reid being in isolation. So her little feet made their way up the back stairs to the floor above. She crept along the edges of peoples vision and slunk along in the dark areas until she reached the right room.

Small fingers rested on the edge of the door. A quick look around and she slid into the room unseen.

Spencer was laying on his side with drips in the back of his hands. There was a huge dressing over one side of his face. His ribs were strapped and as she walked around the bed she saw the big dressing on his back.

Rosa climbed up onto the bed behind Reid and brushed her hand over his hair. It had been pulled back into a pony tale. She leaned forward and whispered in his ear.

"Daddy wanted to come see you but they are such tossers. They don't understand. I snuck up here." She saw his eye blink. "It's OK. You and my dad are together – I know that, so I suppose you are my new mum. Just thought I would introduce myself to you." She lay down on the bed behind him and wrapped an arm around him placing her hand on his chest gently the way she had seen her dad do it. "I'm Rosa. You know what? You are lucky he has these 'feelings' for you. He's a good person to have on side you know."

Her hand moved from his chest to gently lay over the dressing on his face. "This won't help. I'm going to remove it." She picked at the edges of the dressing where it was taped to his skin. A hand – a hot dry shaking hand was placed over hers. "Don't worry Spence. I won't hurt you." She sighed deeply. "You trust me don't you Spence?" And the hand on hers moved away again. "Dad will be here as soon as he can. I can help until he gets here." The dressing was pulled back from the wound. It was nasty and deep. His eye still too swollen to open but her fingers gently stroked it and she heard a small noise of contentment. Well she thought that's what it was. Either that or he was dying of fear. Rosa smirked.

-o-o-o-

Reid felt the child lay on the bed behind him. He heard her words, but she was saying Floyd was her dad? He didn't understand this. In his confused mind the woman had only just become pregnant and now the child was here? Briefly he wondered if he was one of those coma victims who slept for decades and never fully woke up. He wanted the child to go away and stop confusing him. Then there is was – gradual – and not as all encompassing as it would have been with Floyd, but there was a smell. A sweet yet very heavy smell. It entered his nose and drifted down to his lungs and out into his blood and at this point he would lay down his life to protect this small child. As her fingers danced over the rip in his face he let out a sound of totally unadulterated pleasure.

Now he could hear another voice and this was the one he had been waiting and hoping for. A hand holding his and soft breath touching his cheek.

Spencer opened his eye, but still everything was so dark and distant – shadows danced in and out of his vision and the small hands which hand been moving over his face left and the weight on the bed behind him was gone. Suddenly everything was gone. He reached a hand out and felt a vast empty nothingness. Even the shadows were gone. A faint dark nothing and so he closed his eye again and put tried to wrap his arms around him in that defensive gesture he needed so often.

The weight again behind him, only this time a greater weight and finally the smell and body contours he wanted. He felt Floyd lay an arm over him and place fingers over his heart and now the hot breath on the back of his neck and Spencer was pushing his injured sick body back on to Floyd as that wonderful smell flooded his senses.

The voice in his ear. "I'm sorry babes - I think that is what I am feeling. I sorta gave you some nasty disease." Spencer felt the fingers move up to where the cut on his face was. "Rosa did a good job. She's a lovely kid Spence. I just know you will adore her." His fingers continued to move carefully over the damaged skin. "This thing you have wrong with you babes – I need to purge you of it. You don't need to know why am doing something – just let me do it OK?"

Spencer felt Floyds hand on his shoulder pulling him to lay on his back. "It's just that this virus thing it sort of changed when it hit my system and I had no idea it was going to effect you like this. Thought you would just get a headache and you know….the sore throat thing. This though…" A hand was sliding down under the front of Spencer's hospital pyjama's. I had absolutely no idea it would do this to you. There are two courses of action I can take now to help you get better babes. One will hurt you – the other will hurt me." Reid felt Floyd push him back onto his side again. "And as you are on a morphine drip it may as well be you who gets the pain. Not like one more little bit will make much of a difference."

Reid let out a small whimper. Floyd was almost completely virtually sure that the sound was most likely to have been a sound of pleasure rather than pain. "I just need to give you some of my antibodies babes. This is the most pleasurable way I could think of doing it."

-o-o-o-

Aaron was told he could go home tomorrow as long as he promised not to go into work yet and to see the therapist to talk about his feelings of betrayal. He was still finding it hard to work out why Reid had done what he had.

It still made no sense to him and now being told by the nurse. 'That nice Flanders man is with Dr Reid' didn't make his day any better. He wanted to get home. Escape from it all and forget this mess. He even considered going to see Haley. Maybe they could try working things out between them. Anything but have to go through the pain of being involved in this triangle he had been dragged down into. He sat up in bed and turned the pages of a cookery book but not really taking any notice of what was written on the pages.

"Hi."

"Hello – are you lost?" The face looked somehow familiar, but he couldn't place it.

"Are you Aaron?" She walked closer to the bed.

He put the book down and frowned at her. "Yes – do I know you?"

"Nu hu – you know my dad. I'm Rosa." She put out a grubby hand.

He took the small sticky hand. "I am not sure I know someone with a lovely little girl called Rosa though." He could smell a sweet cloying sugary smell coming from the child. She looked to Aaron like the sort of child who would get bullied. Who would get abused. Was she the daughter of an UnSub? He really didn't know, but he knew she was a nice child and whatever it was she wanted he would do his best to help her.

"Rosa – very pretty name. Who is your daddy?"

* * *


	17. Chapter 17 Future Plans

Future Plans

_The happiness of a man in this life does not consist in the absence but in the mastery of his passions: - __Alfred Lord Tennyson_

Disclaimer: Criminal Minds is not mine.

* * *

Floyd felt the heat coming off Spencer gradually die down as he held him tightly and kissed him on the back of the neck. He curled up behind Reid and though he didn't often sleep and never needed to actually sleep tonight he just felt drained (couldn't think why) and content (he could think why) and Spencer was giving off his 'I love you' vibes and so Floyd ran hands over every part of Spencer's body that he could – making sure with each sweep of his fingers that the contours he was running his fingers over would never be forgotten and would never be replaced by the memories of another body. Alive or dead. Male or female. Adult or -- well – he needed Spencer.

Once his hands had completed their tour of duty he kissed the back of Reid's neck "Night babes….wake me up if you need me." Wasted words as Reid was already sleeping and the steady rise and fall of his chest was felt under the now sleeping hands of Flanders.

The nursing staff came in a couple of times during the night to take Spencer's temperature and check on the drips and dressings. The first time they pulled faces at the sight of the other man laying behind him holding on tightly almost as though his life depended on it but now they just thought it was kind of sweet. It was put on the chart how Reid's temperature was slowly dropping and how the swelling on his face was gradually going down. Hopefully tomorrow Dr Reid would wake up properly for them.

They made sure that Reid's friend was covered with a blanket and left them to sleep in the dim light which was left on by the door. By early morning Floyd was gone.

-o-o-o-

In another part of the hospital all hell was breaking loose.

Sweet Rosa Flanders was having a tantrum and Aaron Hotchner was attempting to reason with her. Emily and Garcia wanted to step in and help, but for now stood back and watched the fireworks. Morgan and Rossi had gone home to sleep.

"What are you talking about?" she stood with her small fists on her hips.

"You need to go with these people Rosa. They will give you a bed to sleep in and some warm clothes."

"I don't need no fucking bed and clothes. I want my daddy! Where is he?" She tried to leave the room again but Hotch now out of bed and dressed albeit in sweatpants and a hoddie – was standing firmly in the door way.

"You need to be looked after properly Rosa. Your father is not capable of caring for a child. He is not a well man. There is absolutely no discussion here. You will go with these people and you will do as you are asked."

"Who died and made you the boss?!" She stomped up to Aaron and prodded him in the stomach. "I was going to say thank you. I was going to let you have a bit of me cos you got all hurt so daddy could get me out of that place. I was gonna do that I was, but now you can go to hell and I aint going with no one. I want my dad. Where is he?"

"You father is with Spencer. You need to give them time alone and you will go with these nice people from children's services and let them help you."

"No."

"Just for tonight."

"Screw you."

Emily stood forward. "How about coming back to my place for the night?" She smiled. "Garcia and I were just saying how we could get pizza and some ice cream. Want to join us?"

"The catch?" But Rosa looked interested in this idea.

"Only that you get to choose the movie."

"What about my dad!"

Emily crouched down in front of her. "Tomorrow sweety. He is sleeping and helping Spencer. How about it? We will come back in the morning – after Garcia has taken us both girly shopping."

"We will come back? No tricks."

Emily put her hand on her chest. "Promise. No tricks."

Rosa spun on Hotch who was just giving the girls an exasperated look. "That's how to deal with a kid. God - I hope you never have kids, you will be a shit dad."

If she knew what she had just said and if she saw the looks of horror on the girls' faces when she turned back may never be known, but she had a huge happy smile on her face.

-o-o-o-

Aaron went home to his overly large dusty empty house. He closed the front door behind him and turned on the alarm and now was standing in the hallway, his back pressed against the door with hot tears threatening to escape from his eyes. He pressed his fingertips against his temples and took deep breaths trying to work out where it all went wrong.

Haley.

Jack.

He needed to see Jack and he needed to see Haley, that sweet girl he had first seen when he went into the wrong room. He had been walking into wrong things ever since. Standing here now he knew that this obsession with Spencer had to stop and it would stop tonight.

Aaron walked through the house switching on lights as he went. He turned on the coffee machine in the kitchen then walked up the stairs to the bedroom. Everywhere memories of Spencer, with the occasional hint of Flanders. This was tearing his life apart. He had lost his precious child because of work; he wasn't going to let it be for nothing.

A clean change of clothing in his hands he avoided looking at the floor and tried not to feel the pile of the bedroom carpet beneath his feet and went to the bathroom.

The shower water was too hot. The shampoo got in his eyes and made them sore and watery, but it felt good. He felt cleansed. In the morning he would phone the hospital and see how Spencer was. Now standing looking in the mirror at the face with stitched running along his forehead and across the bridge of his nose he remembered whose fault this was.

In the morning he would phone Haley and arrange to see Jack. Arrange to see Haley. Rearrange his life.

Now he was curling up on the couch with a throw pulled around his pyjama'd shoulders and he fell into a fit full sleep dreaming about rejection and betrayal. His dreams were also confused – dreams of walking in forests and fires. Big raging fires.

His eyes shot open. First – there were birds singing, so it was morning. He could smell smoke and he could smell something else only too familiar. He turned over so quickly on the couch to see where the smell of fire was coming from that he nearly fell off the couch.

"Good morning Aaron." Floyd was sitting in a chair looking at a book.

"Flanders. What are you doing here? How did you get in? You made my fire up?" Hotch looked into the big blaze in the grate.

"I am here to talk to you. I let myself in. I thought you looked cold."

Aaron sat up and pulled the throw around him. "How long have you been here? I thought you were with Spencer."

"He was still sleeping and so I came here to see you. I need to make some things clear about Spence."

Hotch stood up. He needed a coffee badly. "I really don't feel like talking to you right now Floyd. Go away and come back later."

"I need you to stay away from him. I have let things slide and this is where it has brought us to. I am having to come to your home and attempt to be polite."

Aaron ignored him and left the room. He stood and stared at the coffee machine for a while before picking up his mug with shaking hands and tried to pour a coffee without burning his fingers. The sudden hot breath on the back of his neck made him slam the mug down on the counter and turn around.

"What is it your want with me? You tell me to back off. I will. Fine. But now you are here doing this."

Hotch was leaning back slightly against the counter. His fingers gripping tightly onto the counter behind him. Floyd took a step forward and wrapped a hand around each of Aaron's wrists.

"Agent Aaron Hotchner. You will stay away from Spencer. If I smell you on him then I will come here personally and show you his blood on my hands. Unless you want me to fall into these uncontrollable rages when I know he has been with you, you will stay away from him, because this situation has become unbearable as you are probably all too aware." His lips were touching Aaron's as he spoke. "I won't permit you to soil him. He is mine and you will keep away from him."

"It's - it's not like that Floyd. You know – I – I am just someone – someone he finds comfort in talking to." He took a deep shuddering breath.

"You don't just talk though do you Aaron. You hold him. You touch him. You let him touch you. It needs to stop." Now Floyd was pressing himself hard against Hotchner and squeezing his fingers around the wrists he was holding. His mouth moved from Aaron's lips and slid down over his cheek and to his jaw. "It really needs to stop."

"Floyd – what are you – what? Floyd no – stop this – oh god – stop it." Aaron wanted to push Flanders away. He wanted to go and phone Haley about seeing Jack. He wanted to arrange to take her out for a meal. He wanted Floyd to stop messing with his head, but later, yes maybe later. He bowed his head slightly and took in the dirty scent of Floyd's filthy hair. The mixed smell of dirt and blood and sweat over powered Aaron's willpower and he found he was no longer trying to resist this monster who was attacking him in a way he was unable to fight against.

-o-o-o-

Floyd had come to warn him off. He lit the fire for him. He looked cold. He had sat for hours just looking at him. Not touching. Not daring to touch and so he sat and watched the way he flexed his fists and rolled over from laying on his side to lay on his back…and then back onto his side again. He looked at the way his hair was messed up around the dressings on his head. Floyd knew he could help those, but it would mean touching him and touching Hotchner was not something Floyd found pleasure in doing.

It was a relief when Aaron woke up and he was able to deliver his message. It was a good to see how shaken Hotchner was that he was sitting here with him. It was good to see him get up and walk from the room in his dark red pyjama's. Floyd got up and followed. He didn't want to. Something was pulling him. Something was telling him he needed to stay close. Very close. Touching. Tasting. And suddenly the control he had been holding so tightly onto was gone. He was as helpless in this situation as Aaron was.

"Spence. I need to get back to Spence."

"Yes – yes that would be a good idea."

"Just stay away from him."

"I don't know that I can."

"Try. Try real hard Agent Aaron Hotchner, because I find whatever this is hard to cope with."

"So do I."

"Phone your ex – see your son – keep away from me. Keep away from Spencer – and keep away from my daughter."

How long he stood there after Floyd left he had no idea. The coffee was cold and the phone in the hall was ringing. He snapped out of his stupor and lifted the extension phone in the kitchen.

-o-o-o-

Rosa and the other girls had a fab time. They watched Hannah Montana and they sang along to High School Musical, and then they all painted each others finger nails. At midnight the girl was still showing no signs of slowing down and so Emily finally asked her if she would like a bath before bedtime.

"A bath?"

"Yes or a shower."

"I've never sat in a tub before. That would be wonderful!"

A couple of raised eyebrows. "Well I will run you a warm tub of bubbly water then and find you something to put on after to wear in bed. I will wash your own clothes out for the morning."

"Why?"

"Why what hun?" Emily was pouring bubble bath into the tub.

"Why you being nice to me?"

Garcia grinned and left the two of them alone to bond.

"Oh because I like you. Why wouldn't I be nice to such a nice person?"

"But you know who my daddy is?" She dipped her hand into the water.

"I know who you daddy is."

"You not scared of him?"

"Nope. Not scared of him sweetheart."

"Then you don't know him very well do you."

"Maybe not – you are very likely correct, but your daddy has never hurt me sweety, and I know he has deep feelings for you and for Spencer and that is important to me. Family is good. Being loved is better."

-o-o-o-

Spencer awoke to find hands touching him. He opened the eye he could but still the vision was just shadows. Something had changed though. Something inside had changed. Fingers were moving over his back.

"Dr Reid?" A female voice. "Are you awake?"

"Er"

He felt a damp sponge being pressed against his dry lips. It felt like he was in heaven. Spencer sucked greedily at the moisture and when the sponge was removed put his hands out seeking its return.

"More soon Dr Reid. A little at a time." Now he could feel something greasy being wiped over his lips. "Just something to re-hydrate your skin. Don't worry."

His tongue slid across his slimy lips but it felt good. It all felt so good. Even the pain in his back felt good today. "Ouch." He muttered, but it didn't matter, it was glorious. He could think again and he could feel again. His hands moved up to this face and there was the dressing again. "My face?"

A hand took his and replaced it on the bed next to him. "The doctor will be here later to talk to you about things. I think he wanted your friend to be here too. Floyd – was that his name?"

"Floyd? Floyd was here? Where is he?"

Tugging at his hair now as the band holding it back was released and someone started to brush through the tangles. "Sorry if this hurts Spencer, but if we don't brush it you will end up having to have it cut."

"No no carry on. It feels good. Thank you. I can't see."

"Ah – I left something for you to read but I might have to get someone to go through it with you and Floyd. Or he can read it to you."

"What is it?" Poetry? Some Proust?

"How To Avoid Syphilis and other STD's – though we are still not sure what it was you had there. If you are promiscuous you really need to be more careful. This is a bad time Dr Reid as I am sure you are well aware. Next time it might be something far worse."

"Floyd gave me syphilis? Oh marvellous and there I was thinking it was just a very bad case of Gonorrhea."

"We don't know who gave it to you, and we don't know that it was syphilis – but it was the closest. What you actually had was killing you very rapidly. It seemed to be some mutated strain. Anyway. You can rest now. The doctor will be here later to talk to you about your eyes and that nasty wound."

His eyes. Both eyes. Spencer now had a creeping fear that this was it. He was blind. That he had lost his other eye. They kept covering it over so he hadn't had the opportunity to touch it and to tell what the damage was – but one thing he did know. He could still release those tears of fear and frustration.

* * *


	18. Chapter 18 Loss of Control

Loss of Control

_A man who is master of himself can end a sorrow as easily as he can invent a pleasure. I don't want to be at the mercy of my emotions. I want to use them, to enjoy them, and to dominate them: - __Oscar Wilde _

Disclaimer: Criminal Minds is not mine.

* * *

He sat and watched as they removed the dressing from Spencer's face. Reid sat staring straight ahead at the shadows.

"Babes.." Floyd reached over and held Reid's hand. "It's going to be alright." Floyd looked over at

the doctor to confirm what he had just said. "One step at a time. We will get through this."

"We?"

"We – you and I – together."

"It's my face Floyd." He could feel the tape being ripped away from skin.

"I know Babes but I am here for you, and I don't care how disfigured you are I will still love you – you're not just a pretty face." A sharp intake of breath.

" Oh shit – Is that going to get better? Spence. Shit – excuse me." Floyd leapt up from the bed and left the room, almost knocking over a nurse in his rush to escape.

He stood in the corridor with his forehead against the cold wall and closed his eyes. His stomach was twisting in knots of confused feelings.

The hand on his back made his head jerk and smack his head on the wall.

"Sir – would you like to come with me and I will get you a drink?"

"No."

"Would you like to go somewhere and talk about this?"

He turned around and looked into her blue eyes. "Talk about what?"

"You seemed to react badly to what you saw. We can go and talk about what happens next."

"I already know what is going to happen next. You are going to go and fix that mess you have left where his face used to be."

"Sir, it's not as bad as it looks. Please come with me and sit down. I can try to answer your questions."

"I need a smoke. I need to get out of this damned place and get my daughter and go home. Excuse me." Floyd planted his hand firmly on her chest and pushed her back out of the way.

"Do you want me to tell your friend where you have gone? I think he will be asking for you."

"I don't care. Just leave me be. Tell him – tell him I am sorry." Floyd got as far as the men's room – he made it to the urinals and vomited violently into the trough.

-o-o-o-

"Where did he go?" Spencer was beginning to panic. One minute Floyd was there holding his hand telling him all was going to be fine and the next he was gone and Spencer had a very good idea why too.

His shaking hand moved up towards his face, but was stopped before it could get there.

"Please Dr Reid, we need to see what the damage is. Just lay back down."

He could feel them pulling at the skin around his eye and he could see and feel something being shone too brightly into his eyes. First one eye and then the other. Again he attempted to put his hand to his face to tell properly for the first time what the damage was but his hands were being held by what felt like female hands.

Spencer wanted to scream and tell them to let him go and that he could take it whatever it was they were not letting him know about. His vision hadn't gotten any better – or worse – since they removed the dressing and now he wondered if he was going to be like this forever.

"Dr Reid." A male voice. "I am going to check your eye again and then redress this wound. I am happy to say that as far as I can tell there doesn't appear to be any lasting damage to the eye its self. I am worried though about your lack of vision still and I want you to have an MRI so we can get a clearer picture of exactly what is going on here. As for the damage to your face as such, I am sure that the scar won't be too bad and will likely fade with time. I wouldn't get too worried about it right now. I am going to cover parts of the damage with a smaller dressing and you will have a patch over your eye. I don't want you to be alarmed by this. It doesn't mean you have lost your eye – it is purely to protect it while it heals. Is there anything you need to ask?"

"Where is Floyd?"

"Your friend is talking to someone outside. Would you like me to go and find him for you?" A nurse rested a hand on his arm, but all Reid really wanted was to have someone tell him for sure – one hundred percent – that his vision would return to normal and that he wasn't going to be permanently disfigured by this. Again his hand went to his face, only this time no body stopped him. He could feel a line in his skin on his cheek starting level with his nose and disappearing up under the dressing he had over his eye. Gently he brushed fingers over the wad and up to find the torn skin again creeping out from under the dressing and going over his brow to level with the bridge of his nose. He could feel the lumpy sutures and clips put there to hold his skin together and he knew why Floyd had left the room.

Spencer leaned forwards and threw up onto his lap before they could get something in place for him to empty his stomach contents into.

-o-o-o-

"Sir?"

Someone was touching Floyd's back and right now he didn't give a damn. The only thing he could think of right now was what he saw under the dressing. His stomach hitched and twisted again as he continued to throw up.

"Sir – he is asking for you. It would be really good to show him your support right now. He is very afraid."

"Who will be supporting me?"

"Sir? It is your friend who has been hurt. You need to be the one supporting him. Please come back to the room with me and we can all talk together about what is going to happen next."

"No – no – I have things I need to do. I have a daughter to care for, I haven't room on my agenda to care for a blind disfigured friend. He will have to find someone else to hold his hand through this."

Floyd stood from where he was leaning and turned to look the nurse in the eyes. "Maybe you need to explain this to him."

"What the hell are you looking at me like that for? What did I do in my life to deserve this? He's a big boy now I am sure he will be fine. Not like he will see that fucking mess when he looks in a mirror is it?! I will have to see that every day – every bloody day! Do you know what that is going to do to me? I can't live like that. You tell him – you're the professional – you explain that his face makes me want to throw up."

"Floyd isn't it? Floyd – I have heard a lot of crap in my time but that is the biggest load of bullshit I have ever heard in my life. If you want to walk away from your boyfriend….."

"He's not my boyfriend….."

"If you want to walk away, then fine, but you do need to tell him why."

"I don't need to tell him. He will know my reasons. He will understand and I don't know why I am talking to you. Get out of my face and piss off Miss Fucking Nightingale." Floyd went to move by her but she stood her ground.

"You selfish bastard."

He knocked four of her front teeth out. Then as she lay screaming on the men's room floor he put a booted foot over her mouth, pressing gently down onto her lips. "Shut up bitch or so help me god I will crush your face. Now listen. You go and tell him I had to get Rosa. You tell him we will be back. You tell him I can't be there now. You – not me – you do it. Get up off the fucking floor you stupid little whore and do what you are paid to do and don't you EVER talk to me like that again."

He removed his foot from her face – the face with the wide terrified eyes and mashed mouth and he left the men's room. He didn't look back. He took the elevator down and then walked out into the street.

-o-o-o-

Aaron was sitting alone on the huge couch staring at the burned down ash in his fire place. He really wanted – needed to know what was going on with his life. He knew last night that he had managed to sleep but he was still more tired than he thought he had been in a very long time. He had showered and carefully washed his hair trying to get the feel of dirt and blood out of his hair and not get shampoo into the sutured wounds on his head and face.

He had pulled on a white cotton shirt and a pair of dark jeans. The shirt sleeves he had rolled up to his elbows and he had put on his bunny slippers. A small reminder of what he lost when he lost Jack. So many losses.

Aaron still didn't know why Reid had done this. He just couldn't figure out why he had seemingly betrayed him in that way. Was Spencer becoming more like Floyd the longer he stayed with him? Was this the legacy Flanders left behind? Souring and spoiling everything in his wake. If this was what it was like – if this was how Floyd left him feeling – he who was always proud of the stoic front he kept up and the way he could keep his emotions in tow – if he was effected to this degree by Flanders, how must it have effected Reid and could he ever forgive him for standing there watching him being stoned knowing he had the answer they had been wanting.

He leaned back on the couch and closed his eyes briefly to try to pull his thoughts back into focus. The hammering on his front door brought him back to now with a jolt. At first he ignored it but the hammering continued. Hotch quickly grabbed his side arm from out of a drawer and went to see what all the commotion was. He held the gun down and slightly behind him.

Aaron looked through the spy hole but couldn't see anyone out there. The hammering however continued

With caution Hotch undid the bolts and pulled the latch then opened the door slowly. Floyd burst through the door like there was a hell hound biting his arse. He pushed his way into the hallway and kicked the door shut.

"We need to talk." Floyd was a mess. It didn't look like he had washed in a month – and in that month had been rolling in filth and blood and crap. His clothes were encrusted and stinking and he still had on a waistcoat and no shirt.

Hotch wanted to offer him a change of clothing, but that would mean Flanders removing what he had on and that was not a place Aaron's mind wanted to go now.

"Talk about what? We have nothing to talk about."

"Spencer. Who is going to care for Spencer if his sight doesn't return?"

"It will return. He will be fine. You are worried about him?" Was this a side of Floyd he hadn't seen before. A caring side?

"Shit no – I am concerned – yes I am concerned that I will get lumbered with the job – being next of kin and all. I don't want it. I don't want him. His face – you haven't seen it – I can't live my life having to look at it."

Floyd put a hand on Aaron's shoulder and was pushing him backwards towards the stairs.

"Stop – Floyd stop this. If he has a scar then it was because he was protecting you…" His last word became muffled as Flanders mashed his lips against his own.

Hotch could feel quick hands pulling at his shirt and un-tucking it from his jeans and now hands were racing up his ribs and across his chest. The lips left his and spoke. "Protecting me?" Now the mouth was on Aaron's throat and hands pushing him back hard so he had to fall back and sit on the stairs.

Floyd knelt astride Hotch and carried on nibbling on his neck and ears. "Explain how he was protecting me."

"He – Fl – Floyd – g get off – me – get off me." But he felt his hands were not pushing Floyd away but sliding up the back of his waistcoat. "He wouldn't – he wouldn't tell them. They – oh god….they…." and again his words became muffled as Floyd pressed his lips against Hotch's and Aaron could feel that spiteful evil tongue running along his bottom lip and then Flanders sharp teeth pulling at Aarons top lip.

-o-o-o-

Rosa.

Dear sweet Rosa.

Truly her father's daughter.

She had searched Emily's house in the early hours of the morning for something to smoke. There wasn't even any damned ham…let alone a fag. Therefore she went to the next best and drank a bottle of gin and draw obscene pictures in lipstick on Emily's lovely smooth walls. She found a marker pen and wrote 'Screw you Bitch' on her computer monitor and she got a kitchen knife and made long deep scratches in her beautiful polished dining room table. 'Whore'.

"What the hell?" Emily just stood and looked. She could feel tears prickling at the back of her eyes, but she wasn't sure if it was because she was upset about the mess or if it was anger. "Rosa? Why?"

"I told you – I said I needed a smoke. You didn't bloody listen did you? I want my dad. Where is he?"

Garcia was standing there too now in her Daffy Duck pyjama's. "Oh my." She looked at the destruction and walked into the kitchen area and looked for food. The best answer to problems.

"Well Rosa, I am going to find out where he is and you can go straight back to him. This was just not a very nice thing to do. I thought we were going to go shopping today and have some fun."

Rosa stood up from the floor still holding onto the sharp knife. "I don't want to go shopping with you. I have been here five minutes and you washed my smell off me and took my clothes. You are trying to make me into a small version of you and sorry to disappoint you – Emily – but I am a miniature version of my daddy and I need to see him."

Garcia was picking up the phone in the small kitchen area and dialling the hospital. She wanted to find out if Reid was OK, and also see if Flanders was there, because she was thinking now would be a suitable time to collect his lovely child.

-o-o-o-

Spencer was helped off the bed and guided on wobbly legs to the bathroom. He could still see dark and light, but it wasn't enough to be able to tell really where he was going. He wasn't bothered now. He wasn't scared – he was so far beyond this that life was now just floating along and he was being swept along with it. There was no control over what was happening, or anyway he could change what had happened. He was only too aware that Hotch hadn't come to see him. He was only too aware that Floyd had walked out and now all he had was this nothingness and he planned on staying in this nothing place for a long time now.

He felt hands stripping his clothes off him and he could hear kind words but he didn't listen to them. He felt the hot water pouring over his bruised body as he stood naked in the shower in front of strangers he couldn't see.

Spencer wanted to put his face up to the water and feel it over his skin, but they asked him not to do that. "You will get that new dressing wet." Like that really mattered now. Again he put his hands to his face and felt the stitches and clips holding his skin together. "Your face is still very swollen Dr Reid, it wont feel the same in a couple of days, you will see a huge improvement."

"I won't." Was his simple answer.

They wrapped a bathrobe around him and handed him a towel so he could get the water off and slip on a pair of boxers. He was taken to sit in a chair and someone blow-dried his hair for him and then pulled it back into a ponytail again.

There was where they left him. Staring at the shadows knowing there were things there just out of reach for now – waiting for him – waiting for him to let his guard down – wanting him to sleep. Spencer slid his hands up the opposite sleeve of the robe and found the soft skin on his inner arms just beyond his elbows and with his fingernails he began to pinch. At first it was soft, just testing it out, but as the time ticked by and his emptiness became fuller and darker he pinched harder. He could feel the slipperiness of the blood he had managed to draw as he dug his nails in deeper searching for that release. He needed Aaron to tell him it was alright and to hold him and comfort him and he needed Floyd to take control and tell him what to do, but he had just a big void full of pain.

* * *


	19. Chapter 19 Reclaimed

Reclaimed

_William Blake__: If the doors of perception were cleansed, everything would appear to man as it is: infinite._

Disclaimer: Criminal Minds is not mine.

* * *

When they came to take him down for his MRI they offered him a wheelchair. He took the offer and sat with his face pointing down at a lap he still couldn't see and his hands still stuffed firmly up the sleeves of his robe.

They explained to him what they were going to do.

"I know, I have had them before."

"Of course you have Dr Reid. I didn't mean to patronise you."

He just nodded a reply. There was no need to say more.

Spencer was told to lay with his hands down at his sides and slowly he removed his hands from the safety of the sleeves and made sure the cuff of the robe was covering his fingers. He lay back and listened to the banging and rattling of the machine. The occasional rests and the voice of the technician _"Now for the next stage. You will hear a loud banging for about five minutes"_ The voice said from over the microphone in the tunnel he was laying in. He counted in his head the seconds and the minutes so he would at least have some idea when the noise would stop.

He put his hands into tight fists and dug his fingernails into his palms and promised himself that this last desertion by Floyd was going to he the last.

They took him back to his room and asked if he wanted do sit in the chair or lay in the bed.

"I want to sleep."

And so they helped pull him from the chair.

"Don't touch me!" and suddenly he was angry with everyone. "Just leave me alone. I'm not disabled. I don't need you manhandling me."

Spencer felt the hands leaving his arms and quickly he slid his hands up his sleeves and just stood. He realised now that he had no idea where the bed was. He had no idea where the door was but he knew the monsters were there waiting for when he went to sleep. He took a couple of steps forwards. Spencer was sure the nursing staff was still there watching and waiting for him to fall. Another step and then another and still no bed and still no idea of where he was. He stood still again and he could hear a very strange noise and it felt like he was swaying.

"Is there anyone there?"

"We are still here Dr Reid."

"Please leave. Please leave and close the door behind you."

"I would like to know you are safe first."

"I am not a child. Please – I need time alone."

"Very well. Just yell if you need someone."

A nodded reply as he stood and waited for the sound of the door to close and then turned to face his left and then back to his right – or was that where he was facing to start with? He pulled his right hand out of its safe place and ran his fingers over his face again. It didn't feel like it was his anymore. His jaw was swollen. His fingers played over the stitches and clips on his face and again they brushed carefully over the wadding covering his eye. Another step forwards now and still no bed or wall or chair. Just void.

He knelt on the floor. Just collapsing his legs underneath him and then curled himself into a tight ball. One hand he kept tightly stuffed up his sleeve and the fingers on that hand continued their attack on the soft white flesh of Spencer's inner arm. The fingers on the other hand kept their incessant movement over his face.

No one came in to disturb him. No one came in to check up on him and so he was there for a while picking at his face; pulling at the stitches and clips and making strange noises from deep inside him.

-o-o-o-

Aaron was trying to crawl backwards up the stairs with Floyd almost drooling over him crawling astride him and continuing his barrage of mouth and tongue.

"You need – need to go – go and see Sp Sp Sp – no! Floyd you need to see Spencer!" And now Hotch was beginning to pull back a small bit of control and the more he seemed to gain the less Floyd seemed to have.

He couldn't stop it. There was something altogether disturbing about this but he couldn't stop himself. He needed Aaron. He needed him now and he was trying to get away. Somewhere in the back of his mind he could hear words but they stopped making sense a long time ago now. All he could think of now was that Hotchner was his. Nothing else mattered. He licked and nibbled. His hands ripped at clothing and his teeth and tongue searched the flesh they found underneath.

Something was slowing him down. Hands pulling his head back and now the noise in his head. Someone was shouting. "Get off me Flanders!" and finally he looked up at Hotch just in time to get a slap around the face. "Get off me. Just step back and listen to me."

Floyd wiped his mouth on the back of his hand. He could see he was shaking and the loud 'thwump' sound in his ears changed to a high pitched whistle just as the blood exploded out of his nose all over Aaron.

"Spence?"

Aaron indicated the stitches he had across the bridge of his nose. "Go and see him – see if he will explain to you why this happened."

"Iolanda whumped you. I know what happened. I don't need to go and talk to him about it." Floyd sat on the step next to where Aaron was sprawled.

"This is Spencer's fault. He lied to Iolanda to protect you. In response to his lies Iolanda did this to me." Hotch sat up.

"And so why do I need to talk to Spence?"

"They beat him for trying to protect you Floyd. That damage was your fault. Now get out of my house. Get back to the hospital and help him."

Floyd's hands were moving over Aaron's shirt. "You have another like this? I need a clean shirt."

"No – no I don't. Go – talk to Spencer. Be there for him."

"His face. Hotchner I can't look at his face."

Floyd stood and looked down at Aaron. "I need you to shower. Be clean for when I get back."

"I don't want you coming back Floyd – please understand this – stay away from me."

Flanders looked at his hands and down at Aaron and then nodded. "Something's are far easier said than done. You – Aaron – you will keep away from Spencer."

He turned and left the house.

Once outside he sat on the low wall which ran along the front of the Hotchner property and put his head in his hands. There was something about Aaron, which seemed to cause an upset in his own chemical balance.

-o-o-o-

He could feel something warm on his face. Warm and sticky. He wanted to move and find the bathroom but he was stuck now. No idea where he was and now he could smell blood.

Spencer took his hand away from his face and waved his fingers in front of his eyes. Nothing.

He pushed up to his hands and knees and started to crawl forwards. He could feel his arms shaking under the strain and he could feel blood running down his face and off his chin.

Spencer realised after a small crawl that he had made his way to the en suite bathroom. He pushed the door closed behind him and sat in his own private hell with his back against the cold wall tiles. He could hear his breathing and he could feel his heart thumping in his chest and now a headache. It started behind his right eye. The one they were protecting with the dressing and it spread across his face and nose. It travelled over his forehead and to the top of his head and then spread out into the rest of his brain. He put his hands up the sleeves of his robe and tried to take back control of the only thing he seemed able to right now – but even that was taken from him as his eyes slowly closed and he fell into a light sleep.

"Babes?"

A voice a long way off.

"Spence? What've you done?" The voice was closer.

Reid felt the brush of air against his skin as the bathroom door was opened and now he heard the click of a light and the 'bzzz bzzz' of the fluorescent light coming on.

And now he could feel fingers under his chin pushing his head up. No words were said, but he knew this was Floyd. Through the head ache and the pain in other places he could smell that familiar scent. Something was now being pressed against his face and comforting arms were being wrapped around him. Other voices now from outside of the room. Worried voices.

Floyd picked Reid up and took him to his bed. He lay him on his side and pulled the covers up over him. Still he hadn't spoken to him. He planted a soft kiss on the back of Spencer's neck and finally words.

"Spence. Just lay there and lay still. I am going to sort something out and I will hopefully be back. If not it's not because I don't want to be."

-o-o-o-

To say Floyd was annoyed was an understatement. To say that he was very cross didn't really come close either. To describe what he was feeling as the desire to kill – and to kill lots of people whilst doing something to them they wouldn't be enjoying was closer to the mark, but he was showing remarkable restraint.

He went to the doctor's office where he had been before – the one Garcia had lead him to – and he walked in without knocking.

The good doctor was talking to the family of someone. They all looked pained and upset, and the expressions didn't change when Floyd started talking.

"Get the fuck out, the doctor and I need a chat."

"You will have to come back later sir. I am busy. Please knock in future."

"You are not busy. These people are just leaving." Indicating the door and now looking at the four people sitting there. "You ARE leaving." Looking at the door. "You are leaving NOW!"

"How dare you come in here shouting and pushing your weight around. You really do have a problem don't you?"

Floyd watched as the family quickly got up and left the room and then he picked up a paperweight off the doctors desk. "How dare I? I tell you how dare I. Not far from here is my friend. Someone I will give my life for willingly and coming from me that is saying quite a lot – he is suffering severe heard trauma and is having problems with his vision. He has a very nasty facial wound. Do you know who I am talking about?"

Popping the paperweight from one hand to the next.

"Yes I know."

"Why did I just find this most important thing in the world to me sitting on the bathroom floor with the sutures pulled out of the rip in his face and his lap full of blood? Counting to five and I need a good answer. One – two – three – fourfive – and out of time."

"Sir if there is a problem with the nursing staff then you need to talk to them. I am sorry."

How the doctor ended up on his front laying across his desk with this trousers around his ankles he wasn't sure but Floyd didn't get to do what he wanted. A hand on his and a voice in his ear. "Floyd – this isn't helping anything." Emily Prentiss.

She took the offending object out of Floyd's hand and put it back on the desk. "FBI." – she flashed her credentials at the doctor. "Floyd step away please and calm down."

"Have you seen the state of him?" Floyd rounded on Emily and saw Rosa standing looking at him.

-o-o-o-

They re-sutured the mess on Spencer's face. This time Floyd stayed with him. This time Floyd held tightly onto Reid's hands muttered comforting sounds. Rosa was outside having a smoke and Garcia was with her. Not to smoke but just to 'keep the poor kid company'. Rosa chatted and Garcia listened.

They tried to explain yet again that the swelling would go down, but Spencer had damaged the skin by doing what he had and it was unlikely that the scar would fade completely. Though not entirely out of the question. They eye was damaged. But not so badly that it would never recover. He would just need to be careful and avoid getting it hit by anything. Keeping it covered for now was the best option.

"My very own pirate." Floyd kissed Reid on the forehead. "It's going to be fine babes just you see. Or not see – but I think you will see. He will wont he?"

The results from the MRI were still being processed. It was likely that the vision would correct its self gradually.

Floyd was going to kill Iolanda. He wasn't going to talk to Spence about this, but he was going to kill the man. He was going to do to him what he did to Spence. He had it planned and in preparation he carried with him a skinning tool. Yes he could rip the man's skin off with his bare hands, but that would be fat too quick for the man who had marked his Spence for life.

While Reid spent his days getting better in hospital, Floyd spent his trying to find somewhere for them to live as a family. He needed to keep Rosa with him and he needed to keep Spence with him and keep them both safe. He finally opted for a nice sized single story dwelling in a nice area. The gardens were all short green grass and the kids played ball in the street. The women baked apple pies and the men all had cars and worked in the city.

In Floyd's mind they would blend in perfectly well here. In Floyd's mind – he - his blind (but seeing more light/dark every day.) and his beautiful daughter were the perfect family. Maybe this was the place for them to settle down and be happy. He had Reid's books brought back from the cottage. He had his tools and toys brought back and the told the whore that it wasn't his child and she could try for paternity but she would be unsuccessful. He would home school Rosa, and get a gardener and a cleaner and they would live happily ever after. After he had killed Iolanda.

The day before Reid was going home he asked Floyd the question Floyd knew would be coming soon.

"Where is Hotch?"

"Working I expect."

"He hasn't been to visit. Do you know why?"

"You will have to ask him yourself babes."

"Is it something you have said to him?"

"No Spence. It was for once not me. It was you."

-o-o-o-

Hotch stood in the doorway of Reid's hospital room. He looked sad. He looked like he would rather be anywhere but were he was now – having to say what he was going to say.

"Reid. You wanted to see me."

Spencer looked over to the door way and smiled at the familiar voice. The safe voice. The voice which never hurt.

"Hotch! Aaron I have missed you."

"Was that all you wanted to say?"

Spencer got up and walked over towards the shadow the voice was coming from. He put his hands out to touch the face of the man who gave him so much security. Hotch took Reid's hands and pushed them out of the way.

"Aaron?"

"You wanted to talk to me about something? You need to hurry Reid I am working." Again Spencer moved his hands to touch Aaron and again he pushed them away. "Don't touch me Reid. Just tell me what it was you wanted to say and let me get back to work."

Spencer dropped his hands to his side and looked up to where Hotch was standing. "Why are haven't you been to see me?"

"You didn't ask me to visit. Is that all?"

"Hotch, what's wrong?"

And now Spencer felt Aaron take his hand and guide his face. Spencer felt the thick scar tissue across the bridge of Hotch's nose and now his hand was guided to the side of Hotch's head where the hair was still growing back over more scars.

"Do you remember how this happened?"

Hotch let go of Reid's hands.

"Hotch – Aaron.."

"Reid, do you remember what happened?"

"Obviously I remember."

"Do you remember why this happened?" Hotch ran a finger over Spencer's scar.

"It was…"

"It was because you lied Reid. You lied to protect Floyd and so they stoned me. They nearly killed me and you stood and watched and lied to them."

"No! Hotch it wasn't like that!"

Spencer could feel Hotch's breath in his face. "It was exactly like that Spencer. You would have seen me die before you told them where you thought Floyd would be."

"Hotch please no – it wasn't how it happened."

"Reid – you betrayed our friendship. What you did is worse than what Floyd does. At least with him we expect not to trust him and to know we will eventually get hurt by him, but not by you Spencer. This I can't forgive."

"Aaron…"

"No! That is all I have to say. Good bye Reid. I really hope your sight improves. I don't wish you harm, I just don't want to see you again."

Reid stood and watched the shadow turn and walk away without another word. He stayed where he was and bit down on his bottom lip. He slid his hands up the sleeves of his shirts and pinched hard on the sore scratched and scabbed skin of his inner arms.

* * *

**A/N: Obviously this means I will now have to write a follow up - this is the end of this little bit :cD**


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